signature on a promissory note

Literary Activities Of Samuel G. Goodrich:
An Evolving Bibliography

(see also works not by Goodrich)
The other bibliographies

As book seller/publisher, editor, and writer, Samuel Goodrich was responsible for publication of dozens of works ranging from pocket-sized chapbooks to massive geographies. He also was responsible for a handful of periodicals.

This bibliography in progress includes works he published, wrote, edited, purchased the copyright of, or assisted in the publication of (Goodrich helped a few friends and colleagues to bring out their works with other publishers). It’s being compiled from various sources, including the catalogs of various libraries and copies I own or have seen. Works are listed in loose chronological order by copyright or publication date; to search for individual titles, use Control-F. I began with the list Goodrich compiled himself, in the Appendix in volume 2 of his Recollections of a Lifetime (1856), then checked it against the holdings of various libraries (including my own). Where the library apparently has a copy with an earlier date than that given by Goodrich, I listed the work by that date, deciding to privilege a copy of the work over Goodrich’s perhaps-faulty memory and records. Where there’s a discrepancy, I’ve included the date Goodrich gives.

I’ve also listed problematic works copyrighted by Goodrich, including ones included on his list of spurious works; for more information on the titles published by E. Littlefield and by Nafis and Cornish, see the bibliographic note for those works. In a number of cases, the word “copyrighted” may simply imply that Goodrich published an earlier edition of the work. Titles appearing on Goodrich’s list for which I’ve been unable to find bibliographic information also are listed here.

For convenience, I’ve listed a few libraries in the U.S. in which copies of these works appear; the library’s copy may be in microform and is not necessarily a first edition. While Goodrich’s books were revised, later editions of his fiction often are the same as earlier editions.

Reviews of some of the works are on a separate page.

Please note: This bibliography is very much a work in progress.

Images from works by Goodrich are featured in a wallpaper for your desktop.


Title, author (if not Goodrich); date of first publication, date of revised edition [published|edited|copyrighted; M = published in Robert Merry’s Museum; G = listed in Recollections; LOC = at Library of Congress; AAS = at American Antiquarian Society; MNU = at University of Minnesota; NYPL = at New York Public Library; PHL = at Free Library of Philadelphia] [link to reviews]

bibliographic information & other information. NUC = National Union Catalog, of editions “representing Library of Congress printed cards and titles reported by other American libraries.”

Early American Imprints is a collection available on microcard or as a digital database in many large libraries and in most university libraries. Titles are arranged by their numbers in American Bibliography, originally edited by Charles Evans, later by Shaw-Shoemaker. Books described in d’Alté Welch’s A Bibliography of American Children’s Books Printed Prior to 1821 (Massachusetts: American Antiquarian Society, 1972) are noted here, with their numbers in the book.

translation of “René,” by Françoise-René Chateaubriand; 1814 [online]

bib info: Connecticut Spectator [Middletown, Connecticut] 20 April 1814; p. 4. 27 April 1814; p. 4. 4 May 1814; p. 4. 11 May 1814; p. 4. 18 May 1814; p. 4. 25 May 1814; p. 4

note: Intent on educating himself, Goodrich studied French with Jean Pierre Victor Rose Value, who had a school in Hartford in 1811: “ … to practice myself in French, I translated Chateaubriand’s René. One of my friends [Simeon L. Loomis] had just established a newspaper at Middletown, and my translation was published there.” [Recollections vol 2: 62] René is the companion work to Atala, which had been published in 1802 (Boston: Caleb Bingham, 1802; the AAS has a copy). A different translation of René was published in book form in 1815 (Boston: Cummings & Hilliard, 1815; Early American imprints, 2nd series, #34330).

Scott’s Family Bible, edited by Thomas Scott; 1816-1817 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #36949]

bib info: Hartford: Sheldon & Goodrich, and Simeon L. Loomis, 1816. 5 vols: vol 1, 953 pp.; vol 2, 1014 pp.; vol 3, 916 pp.; vol 4, 704 pp.; vol 5, 722 pp. 14 illustrations total; several signed “Anderson” (probably Alexander Anderson)

note: Goodrich recalls, “ … my friend George Sheldon having established himself as a bookseller and publisher, he invited me to become his partner—and this I did, early in the year 1816. We pursued the business for nearly two years, during which time we published, among other works, Scott’s Family Bible, in five volumes quarto—a considerable enterprise for that period, in a place like Hartford.” [Recollections vol 2: 76]

Actually, Goodrich joined Sheldon in 1815, as evidenced by an advertisement in the Connecticut Mirror for this bible. The Scott’s Family Bible originally was proposed by Loomis & Richards, of Middletown, Connecticut, in 1814; the proposal and subscriptions were then transferred to Horatio G. Hale and Simeon L. Loomis, of Hartford; the bible was advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut]: “The several editions which have been published, have been received by the public with an ardor and approbation hitherto unknown.—These editions are now nearly out of print, or are taken up by subscribers, which has induced the publishers to offer a Connecticut Edition, which it is hoped, will, at least, prove equally favourable to the subscriber, in price and quality, to any hitherto offered the public.” [21 Aug 1815; p. 3]

Sheldon & Goodrich then were brought into the project: “SHELDON & GOODRICH, and SIMEON L. LOOMIS, will publish the Edition of SCOTT’S FAMILY BIBLE heretofore proposed by HORATIO G. HALE and SIMEON L. LOOMIS. … The work will be put to press in January 1816, and the first number will appear soon after.” [27 Nov 1815; p. 3]

Simeon L. Loomis became sole publisher in May 1817: “Simeon L. Loomis having purchased of Sheldon & Goodrich, their share in the Hartford edition of Scott’s Family Bible, the publication of the work and all other concerns connected with it, will be conducted by him.” [“Notice.” Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 5 May 1817; p. 3.]

On the title page of 1816 volumes, Loomis is listed, with Hart & Lincoln, as printer. In some volumes from 1817 and 1818, the title page lists Loomis as sole publisher, with no change in the printers; a new title page may have been placed in an earlier printing of the book. (My set seems to have been issued at various times: vol 1, 1816; vol 2, 1817; vol 3, 1818; vol 4, 1816; vol 5, 1817.)

The bible was issued in a number of fascicles: paperbound sections (Number 21 begins with the preface to St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans and ends with I Corinthians 15: 19.) When bound together, the fascicles form a handful of massive tomes, with annotations that fill at least half the page. Small wood engravings are scattered unevenly through the volumes: my set of all five volumes has 14 illustrations, with five in volume one, four in volume two, one each in volumes three and four, and two in volume five. (A loose illustration was placed in volume one; it illustrates an event in that volume.) Another copy of volume one which I’ve examined has eight engravings.

According to a notice in the Hartford Courant, fascicle #1 was published in April 1816: “The first number of this invaluable work has just appeared from the press of Messrs. Sheldon and Goodrich, of this city[.]” [“Communication: Scott’s Family Bible.” 23 April 1816; p. 3.]

The Evidence and Authority of the Christian Revelation, by Thomas Chalmers; 1816 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #37204]

bib info: Hartford: Sheldon & Goodrich, 1816. Listed among books for sale by Goodrich on the back cover of Elegant Extracts of Poetry (1818).

A Circumstantial Narrative of the Campaign in Russia, by Eugene Labaume; 1816 [published]

bib info: Hartford: Sheldon & Goodrich, 1816. 356 pp. Second American edition, from the second London edition. Translated from the French.

Sheldon & Goodrich advertised a number of books for sale; 1816

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 29 Jan 1816; p. 3: Wardlau on the Socinian Controversy; Juvenile Lavater; or, Familiar Explanations of the Passions of Le Brun, by George Brewer; Field of Waterloo, by W. Scott; Clan Albin; The Sisters, Ellen the Teacher, & Says She to Her Neighbor—What?, all by Barbara Hofland.

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 20 May 1816; p. 3: Walter Scott’s Letters; Paul’s Letters to His Kinsfolk; The Siege of Corinth and Parisina, by Lord Byron (50 cents)

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 16 Dec 1816; p. 3: works on divinity, law, medicine, surgery, chemistry, history, biography, voyages & travels, geography & topography, classical, & school; “1000 volumes of NOVELS and ROMANCES, suitable for circulating libraries” & complete runs of the Analectic Magazine. (Also, quills, penknives, pencils, crayons, ink, slates, & “Cases of MATHEMATICAL INSTRUMENTS.”)

Sheldon & Goodrich advertised a number of books for sale; 1817

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 5 May 1817; p. 3: several works, including ones by Maria Edgeworth & Amelia Opie; Journal of a Young Man of Massachusetts; “Byron’s last poems”; “Christabel,” by Samuel Coleridge; also pamphlets: “The Triangle,” 1st-4th series; “A Sketch of the Life and Character of Dr. Poedagogus the Reformer”; “Dr. Chapin’s Sermon at the Funeral of President Dwight”; “A Sketch of the Life and Character of President Dwight,” by Benjamin Silliman; “An Oration in Commemoration of the Late President Dwight,” by Gardiner Spring; “History of the Young Men’s Missionary Society of New-York”; & “Verses to the Memory of the Late Richard Reynolds,” by Montgomery.

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 26 May 1817; p. 1: Letters Written by an English Resident at Paris, by Hobhouse; Life and Studies of Benjamin West, by John Galt; A Sermon Delivered at the Opening of the Connecticut Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb. “Printed and sold for the exclusive benefit of the Institution.”

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 16 June 1817; p. 3: memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte; “The Triangle,” series 5; A Series of Discourses on the Christian Revelation, Viewed in Connexion with Modern Astronomy, by Thomas Chalmers; The Official Reports of the Canal Commissioners of the State of New-York; also The American Monthly and Critical Review

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 4 Aug 1817; p. 3: Lalla Rookh, by Thomas Moore; Life of Robert Fulton, by C. D. Colden; memoirs of William Cowper; & the North American Review.

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 2 Sept 1817; p. 3: Vindication of the Captors of Major Andre; Analysis of the Mineral Waters of Ballston and Saratoga, by John H. Steele; Captain Riley’s narrative; Manfred, by Lord Byron

advertisement. back of #21 of Scott’s Holy Bible: Brown’s Concordance (“printed to match this, and other quarto editions of the Bible, and will be delivered, stitched, at 62 1/2 Cents each.”) Religious tracts: History of the Bible (12 pp.; 100 for 31 cents); Parley the Porter (12 pp.; 100 for 31 cents); Journey from Time to Eternity (8 pp.; 100 for 66 cents); The Swearer’s Prayer (8 pp.; 100 for 33 cents); Anecdotes of a Sailor (8 pp.; 100 for 33 cents). Also, The Triangle: A Series of Numbers Upon Three Theological Points; [illegible] Matthew Hales’s Letter of Advice, to His Grand-Children (87 1/2 cents); Readings on Poetry; Popular Models and Impressive Warnings, by Mrs. Grant (2 vols; $1); Alison’s Sermons (2 vols; $2); Travels of Ali Bey, in Morocco, Tripoli, Cypros, Arabia, Syria, and Turkey (2 vols; $5.50); A Classical Tour Through Italy, by John Eustace (2 vols; $6.50); A Journey Through Persia, Armenia, and Asia Minor, to Constantinople, by James Morier ($3); Memoirs of General Moreau

The Holy Bible; 1817 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #43299]

bib info: Hartford: Sheldon & Goodrich, 1817.

A Summary of the Principal Evidences for the Truth and Divine Origin of the Christian Revelation, by Beilby Porteus; 1817 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #48166]

bib info: Hartford: Sheldon & Goodrich, 1817. Listed among books for sale by Goodrich on the back cover of Elegant Extracts of Poetry (1818).

note: Listed in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 May 1820; p. 3), as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3)

editorials on the election of April 1817; 1817

In the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut]: “Nearly the whole paper, immediately preceding the election, was filled with pungent matter. I think I filled a column or two myself.” [Recollections vol 2: 90]

School Testament; 1817 [published]

advertised in Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 29 Dec 1817; p. 3: “Just published by the subscriber, a stereotype edition of the SCHOOL TESTAMENT, on superiour paper, and at the price of common School Testaments.”

note: Listed among books for sale by Goodrich on the back cover of Elegant Extracts of Poetry (1818).

Goodrich advertised a number of books for sale; 1817

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 29 Dec 1817; p. 3: includes the school Bible; Webster’s Spelling-Book; New-York Expositor; Scott’s Lessons; Cumming’s Geography; Daboll’s Arithmetic; Latin & Greek classics; psalm books; Lectures on the Duties and Qualifications of a Physician, by Gregory; Life of Fanny Woodbury; Life of Mrs. Graham; Keep Cool, “a celebrated humorous novel”; Pilgrims of the Sun, by James Hogg

Practical and Familiar Sermons, Designed for Parochial and Domestic Instruction, by Edward Cooper; 1817-1818 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #40570]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1817-1818. “First American from the Eighth London Edition.” 2 vols: vol 1, 375 pp.; vol 2, 386 pp. Printed: B. & J. Russell

note: This work was announced as being “in the press,” in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 Sept 1817; p. 3); the publishers were listed as Sheldon & Goodrich: “The work will be printed from the London edition, and will be comprised in four volumes duodecimo. The three volumes, received by the publishers and now in the press, will be completed in two volumes, of about 350 pages each, … at $1 per volume. Every person who will obtain six subscribers and be responsible for same, shall have a seventh copy gratis.” When George Sheldon died suddenly on 4 October 1817, Goodrich bought Sheldon’s share of the business; thus the imprint. An advertisement of this work in 1818 noted that “These are the Practical Sermons of Cooper, without his Doctrinal Sermons …. This edition comes at $2 for 2 vols. and is the cheapest book in market. The Brookfield edition has the Doctrinal Sermons added, and comes at $5.” (Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 4 May 1818, p. 3)

Goodrich advertised a number of works for sale; 1818

Periodicals: “The subscriber is sole agent in this City, for the following periodical works”: Edinburgh Review; Quarterly Review; North American Review; Christian Observer; Panoplist; Analectic Magazine; Port Folio; American Magazine; New-England Journal of Medicine and Surgery (Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 12 Jan 1818; p. 3)

Books. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 12 Jan 1818; p. 3: Robbins’ Journal; Owen’s History of the British and Foreign Bible Society; Scott’s Reply to the Bishop of Lincoln; An Inquiry into the Effect of Baptism, by John Scott

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 4 May 1818; p. 3: Goodrich apparently dug deep into the coffers & submitted an advertisement of practically every book in his bookstore, barring novels & collections of poetry. Detailed listings include works on theology, law, medicine, chemistry, botany, classical works, school books, biographies, histories, gazetteers, & periodicals. Also, “12 kinds of Toy-Books.”

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 19 Oct 1818; p. 3: “The subscriber has purchased during the last month upwards of six thousand volumes, which added to his former stock of Books, renders his assortment one of the most extensive and complete in New-England.” Among the works are Dibdin’s London Theatre; Bacon’s Essays; works by Rabelais, Milton, Cowper, Burns, Chaucer, Spencer, Dryden, “and generally all the British Classicks.” Also, children’s books: “More than one hundred and fifty different kinds, including Sunday School Books of various sorts; books with coloured engravings, an entirely new style; religious tracts, &c.”

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 23 Nov 1818; p. 3: The Identity of Junius; Floræ Philadelphicæ, by W. P. C. Barton; Botanical Terminology; Anecdotes of Rob Roy and his Family; Correction (novel); also several catechisms

Elements of Greek Grammar, by Chauncey Goodrich; 1818? [published]

bib info for 2nd ed: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1820. Copyright 20 September 1818.

note: Described on the back of Elegant Extracts of Poetry (1818) as a work that Goodrich “will soon put to press”. Advertised in Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (4 May 1818; p. 3) in a list of works which Goodrich “now has or will soon have in press.” The second edition is advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 10 Jan 1820; p. 3): “Just Published, and for sale by the subscriber, the second edition of ‘ELEMENTS OF THE GREEK GRAMMAR,’ taken chiefly from the Grammar of C. F. Hachruberg.”

Lessons in Elocution, by William Scott; 1818?

note: Advertised in Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 4 May 1818; p. 3. Listed among books for sale by Goodrich on the back cover of Elegant Extracts of Poetry (1818).

“Pearl Bible”; 1818?

note: Advertised in Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 4 May 1818; p. 3.

Arithmetic Simplified, by John J. White; 1818 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #46793]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1818. Shaw describes a copy consisting of both parts 1 and 2, at 348 pages; this edition is reproduced as part of the Early American Imprints. The AAS has a copy in two volumes: part 1, numbered pages 1-168; part 2, numbered pages 172-348. My copy of volume 1 has “PART FIRST” on the title page.

note: Advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 19 Oct 1818; p. 3) & in The Times (Hartford, Connecticut) (2 Feb 1819; p. 3). Recommendations at the beginning of volume 1 are dated October 5 and October 6, 1818.

Elegant Extracts of Poetry from the Works of Modern Authors; 1818 [published; AAS; LOC; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #43922]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1818. 104 pp. On cover: Elegant Extracts in Poetry.

A Series of Discourses on the Christian Revelation, Viewed in Connexion with the Modern Astronomy, by Thomas Chalmers; 1818 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #43565]

bib info: Hartford: Peter B. Gleason & Co., & S. G. Goodrich, 1818. 322 pp.

note: Advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 16 June 1817; p. 3. Listed among books for sale by Goodrich on the back cover of Elegant Extracts of Poetry (1818).

Discourses on Various Points of Christian Faith and Practice, by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet; 1818 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #44122]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1818. 239 pp. Copyright 14 April 1818.

T’other Side of Ohio; or, A Review of a Poem in Three Cantos, by J. Oldfield, by William Meigs Hand; 1818 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #44241]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1818. 40 pp.

note: Goodrich describes the book in his Recollections: “It was, I think, in 1818, that I published a small tract, entitled ‘T’other side of Ohio’—that is, the other view, in contrast to the popular notion that it was the paradise of the world. It was written by Dr. Hand—a talented young physician of Berlin—who had made a visit to the West about these days. It consisted mainly of vivid but painful pictures of the accidents and incidents attending this wholesale migration.” [vol 2: 80] That “talented young physician” was Goodrich’s third cousin, once removed.

The New Monthly Magazine (London, England) describes it thus: “CANTO I. Argument. A New England wife proposes a removal to a better country, to the pleasant land of Ohio, where are no north east winds, and no winter; where spring and autumn are for ever blended, and summer and winter for ever banished. … —Where are no parish taxes, … —and no turnpike gates. … —Where corn grows 100 bushels, to the acre, if hoed, 50 if not hoed, and 25 if not planted. … —Where whiskey, is cheap, … —and deer as plenty as lambs in yankee pastures. … —Where pigs grow fat without feeding, and wild fowl are plenty as can be. … —The husband careless of his wife’s fine speeches, is dubbed numbskull, … —and now resolves to go, and threatens not to re-resolve. …

CANTO II. Argument. ‘Our children there shall learn to climb trees, and shoot a rifle.’ … —The patrimony is sold and a waggon and horses bought—the journey commences and proceeds prosperously; so long as turnpikes are walked on. … —In their first essay to pass the blue ridges of the Alleganies, … —the waggon is upset with a crash; husband frets. … —One horse is dead; and the bed, saved from the ruin, is thrown over the other horse: the wife sighs for the broken crockery, and cries for the dead horse, but mounts his mate. … —People on the road described. … —The wife by funeral step pursues her route, bewailing her sad fate. …

CANTO III. Argument. The husband trudges on foot after his mounted wife—they crawl over mountain after mountain:—first the Three Brothers, then comes Sideling Hill, … —then Dry ridge, and Scrub ridge, and a dozen more almost impassable ridges; and now the true blue Allegany, king of all mountains, and Laurel Hill, his queen. … —In train appear courtiers, and maids of honour, such as additional ridges, and rivers, and rocks, and rattlesnakes, and ravines, and glades, and glens,—Arrive at last in Ohio. … —A great wooden wilderness. … —Conclusion.” [“T’Other Side of the Ohio.” The New Monthly Magazine 13 #73 (1 February 1820); pp. 143-152. The article includes pages of quotes from Hand’s sources.]

Deaf and Dumb, by Thomas Holcroft; 1818 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #43425]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1818. 72 pp. Copyright 28 August 1818. Shaw lists the complete title as Deaf and Dumb; or, The Abbe de l’Epee; an historical drama founded upon very interesting facts. From the French of M. [Jean Nicolas] Bouilly.”

Sunday School Hymn Book for Youth, comp. Philo Teknos; 1818 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #45822]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1818. 72 pp.

note: Probably described on the back of Elegant Extracts of Poetry (1818) as “Hartford Hymns,” a work that Goodrich “will soon put to press”; and Advertised as “Hartford Hymns” in Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 4 May 1818; p. 3.

The Holy Bible; 1818 [published; LOC; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #43299]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1818. 2 vol in one.

The New Testament; 1818 [published]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1818. 321 pp.

Dr. Watts’ Catechisms, by Isaac Watts; 1818 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #46709]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1818. Perhaps Listed in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 May 1820; p. 3), as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3)

Elements of General History, Ancient and Modern, by Alexander Fraser Tytler; 1818 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #46851]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1818. Copyright 11 November 1818, by Samuel G. Goodrich. Printed by Simeon Lincoln. 384 pp., with 78-page Chronological Table. “From the seventh British edition.” Includes “The History Continued from the Close of the Seventeenth Century to the General Peace of Europe in 1815,” by Thomas Robbins, a “Chronological Table” beginning with “The Creation of the World” in 4004 BC; the “Chronological List of celebrated men” mentioned in the advertisement below is incorporated into this table.

note: From the preface: “The following Work contains the Outlines of a course of Lectures on General History, delivered for many years in the University of Edinburgh, and received with a portion of the public approbation sufficient to compensate the labours of the Author. He began to compose these Elements principally with the view of furnishing an aid to the Students attending those Lectures; but soon conceived, that by giving a little more amplitude to their composition, he might render the Work of more general utility.”

Advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 21 Dec 1818; p. 3: “The subscriber has published this week ‘TYTLER’S ELEMENTS of GENERAL HISTORY’ … The public are informed that this is the celebrated work of Professor Tytler, … which has been hitherto considered so perfect as to render all attempts to supersede it entirely futile. The present edition is printed from the 7th English edition, with about 70 pages added by the Rev. Mr. Robbins, of Windsor.—This addition brings the work down to the peace of 1815, and renders the work complete. The former editions of this work, have been sold without the continuation by Mr. Robbins, at $2,80—the present, containing 480 unusually large duodecimo pages; comprising beside the history, a comparative view of ancient and modern Geography; a very complete Chronological Table; and a Chronological List of celebrated men, is offered at $1,50.”

The Child’s Arithmetic; 1818 [wrote & published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #44182]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1818. 69 pp.

Goodrich advertised a number of books for sale; 1819

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 1 Feb 1819; p. 1: The Fast of St. Magdalen, “A Romance, by Ann Maria Porter”

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 26 July 1819; p. 3: Memoirs of the Life and Campaigns of Major General Greene, by Charles Caldwell; Hermit in America, by Peter Atall; Salmagundi, 2nd series (“The subscriber is sole agent in this city for this work.”); Reciprocal Duties of Parents and Children, by Mrs. Taylor; Johnson’s Quarto Dictionary. Novels: A Year and a Day; Campbell, or The Scottish Probationer. Poetry: The Ocean Harp, and other Poems; Human Life, by Samuel Robers; Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress, “supposed to be written by Thomas Moore”; Moore’s Melodies, “containing several pieces never before published”

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 6 Sept 1819; p. 3: Mineral Waters, by Reuben Sears; Sermons on Practical Subjects, by William Barlass; Spanish America; A Practical Synopsis of Cutaneous Diseases, by Thomas Bateman; Observations on the Distinguishing Symptoms of Pulmonary Consumption, by Andrew Duncan. At that time, Goodrich was anticipating receiving copies of Mazeppa & Don Juan, by Lord Byron; Emeline; The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon

Goodrich proposed a literary periodical titled the Connecticut Magazine; 1819

prospectus: The prospectus was published in The Times [Hartford, Connecticut] 2 Feb 1819; p. 3:

PROSPECTUS
Of a new Literary Micellany [sic], to be published
in the city of Hartford, called the
Connecticut Magazine,

TO BE DIVIDED INTO FIVE GENERAL DEPARTMENTS.

I. AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY.
II. ESSAYS.
III. EXTRACTS.
IV. POETRY.
V. INTELLIGENCE.


I. BIOGRAPHICAL DEPARTMENT.

To contain sketches of the lives of distinguished Americans, Divines, Civilians, Poets, Philosophers, Physicians, Warriors, &c.

II. ESSAY DEPARTMENT.

To contain Essays on moral, literary, and political subjects, avoiding party politicks and controversial divinity.

Dissertations upon the arts and sciences, fine arts, useful arts, natural philosophy, chemistry, mineralogy, botany, commerce, agriculture, &c. Under this department will be inserted occasionally new and striking expositions of scripture.

This department to be generally original; not however to the entire exclusion of peculiarly valuable articles, which have been before published.

III. EXTRACT DEPARTMENT.

To consist of extracts from voyages and travels, containing remarkable accounts not generally known of the geography, mineralogy, natural history, commerce, customs, religion, &c. &c. of various parts of the world—anecdotes, fragments, short sentences, &c.

IV. POETICAL DEPARTMENT.

To consist of poetry original and selected—religious, moral and literary.

V. INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT.
TO BE DIVIDED INTO FOUR PARTS.
1. Literary and Philosophical.
2. Historical and Political Summary.
3. Religious Intelligence.
4. Obituary.
1. Literary and Philosophical Intelligence.

Notices of intended publications; new discoveries in the arts and scineces; new inventions which promise to be useful; new and singular phenomena in the natural world; meteorological journals, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, diseases, bills of mortality—intelligence respecting colleges, academies, Connecticut Asylum, proceedings at college commencements—a list of new publications, with occasional brief remarks on the merit of new works.

2. Historical and Political Summary.

News from various parts of the world—changes in the civil and political situation of nations—proceedings of Congress and state legislatures—public papers and documents—accounts of new settlements formed in our country; progressive improvement of commerce, &c. &c.

3. Religious Inteligence.

A general view of the proceedings of bible and missionary societies—tract societies—sunday schools—progress of christianity among Pagans, Mahometans, Jews, &c.—remar[k]able instances of individual conversion from infidelity or from vice.

4. Obituary.

Deaths of distinguished persons in various parts of the world.


The magazine was to be issued monthly, at 48 pages for $3.50, and would be “occasionally ornamented with vignettes by the Graphic company.” Publication would begin when Goodrich received “adequate subscription.” He promised much: “In proposing this work to the public, it is tho’t proper to state, that mature and extensive arrangements are made, and that no reasonable expense will be spared to produce a work that may claim permanent patronage. Beside the regular and certain assistance engaged, including several distinguished literary characters in this city, the publisher will pay liberally for all well written original pieces which come within the scope of the work.”

There’s no indication that the magazine was published. The Round Table, however, appeared later that year; Goodrich may have thus used material already planned for the Connecticut Magazine.

chapbooks, 1819

note: Goodrich admitted to writing “half a dozen toy-books” and publishing them while a book seller in Hartford, Connecticut [Recollections vol 2: 112] These may be the books mentioned in an advertisement for The Young Florist’s Companion in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 14 June 1819; p. 1.

The History of a Little Silver Fish, 1819 [perhaps wrote; AAS]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1819. 16 pp. Welch #524.

In the book: “The Little Silver Fish”; “The Eagle”; “Lines on a Moonlight Evening”; “Hymn to the Creator”; “Heaven”


The History of Ralph Raymond, 1819 [published & probably wrote; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #48235]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1819. 30+ pp. Revised 1821


The Man and the Snake, 1819 [published & probably wrote; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #48572]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1819. 31 pp. Shaw and Welch list as having 16 pp. Welch #812.


The Story of Little Thomas and Betsey, 1819 [published & probably wrote; AAS]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1819. 16 pp. Welch #1267.


The Two Doves and the Owl, 1819 [published & probably wrote; AAS; PHL; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #49655; online]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1819. 16 pp. Welch #1361. Revised 1821: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1821. 28 pp.


The Vagabond, 1819 [published & probably wrote; LOC; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #49968; online]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1819. 16 pp. Welch #1369 (2 copies described).

note: Reprinted as The Story of the Vagabond. Woodstock: David Watson, 1822. 30 pp. In the book: “Vagabond,” “The Boy and the Thief,” “The Cottage,” “Heaven,” “The Eagle.”


The Young Florists’ Companion, 1819 [published & probably wrote; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #50188]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1819. 31 pp. “JUST PUBLISHED AND FOR SALE BY S. G. GOODRICH, The Young Florist’s Companion: being concise explanations of Botanical Terms, used in describing flowers, together with illustrations of the classes and orders by familiar example.—Price 25 cents.”

The Round Table, 1819-1820 [published; LOC] [notices & reviews]

note: The writings of a literary club which included Goodrich, J. M. Wainwright, Isaac Toucey, William L. Stone, Jonathan Law, and S. H. Huntington. Goodrich wrote: “The first meeting was at my house …. I also published three or four numbers of a small work entitled the ‘Round Table,’ the articles of which were written by different members of the club.” [Recollections vol 2: 109-110] This periodical was advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 23 Aug 1819; p. 3: “Just published, and for sale by S. G. GOODRICH, THE ROUND TABLE. No. 1. BY GEORGE BICKERSTAFFE, & OTHERS.”

Issue #2 was advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 18 Oct 1819; p. 3.

Issue #3 was advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 6 March 1820; p. 3.

Tales of My Landlord, by Sir Walter Scott; 1819 [published]

note: Advertised in Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 30 Aug 1819; p. 3.

The Square Table, 1819 [published; AAS; LOC; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #49491] [notices & reviews]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1819. 24 pp. Shaw lists two issues.

note: Advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 6 Sept 1819; p. 3: “SAMUEL G. GOODRICH, Has Just Published, THE SQUARE TABLE. BY A LADY ABBESS, AND HER ASSOCIATES. A Counterpart to THE ROUND TABLE. Price 12 1/2 cents.”

The Connecticut Mirror reprinted “The Memorial of Friend Rachel.” (13 Sept 1819; p. 2)

The Minstrel; or, The Progress of Genius, by James Beattie; 1819 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #47180]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1819. 70 pp. Printed by Lincoln & Stone

note: The illustration on the engraved title page was drawn by R. Westall and was engraved by W. H. Bassett.

The Farmer’s Manual, by Frederick Butler; 1819 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #47479]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1819. 224 pp.

note: Advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 6 March 1820; p. 4: “TO AGRICULTURALISTS. JUST PUBLISHED. And for sale by the subscriber, THE FARMER’S MANUAL, BEING a plain practical treatise on the art of Husbandry, designed to promote an acquaintance with the modern improvements in Agriculture, together with REMARKS ON GARDENING, And a Treatise on the management of BEES. Price 75 cents. This work is a close printed duodecimo volume, and contains a great deal of practical matter, which cannot fail to be interesting to all farmers, and particularly to such as are anxious to acquaint themselves with the great variety of information which the last five years have added on the important subject of husbandry. If a person takes five copies, a sixth will be added gratis.”

The Analogy of Religion, Natural and Revealed, to the Constitution and Course of Nature, by Joseph Butler; 3rd Amer. ed.; 1819 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #47481]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1819. 239 pp. Printed by G. J. Newcomb, Deerfield.

The Traveller, the Deserted Village, and Other Poems, by Oliver Goldsmith; 1819 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, Shaw 48094]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1819. 166 pp. Printed: Lincoln & Stone. Advertised in Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 30 Aug 1819; p. 3.

note: This work won its printers some praise at the Hartford Cattle Show and Fair, 6-7 October 1819: “Messrs. Lincoln & Stone, printers of this city, left with the committee for general inspection, a superb copy of Goldsmith’s Poems, printed by them the present season. In point of typographical elegance, the committee have seen nothing of American workmanship which equals it.” [“Report To the Executive Committee of the Hartford County Agricultural Society.” Connecticut Mirror (Hartford, Connecticut) 11 October 1819; p. 3] Amusingly, in the same report reprinted in the 12 October 1819 issue of The Times [Hartford, Connecticut], this paragraph is missing. The Times dabbled in book-publishing and some other printing; perhaps the editor was reluctant to advertise a competitor. (Goodrich seems to have advertised only once in The Times, and Lincoln & Stone not at all.)

An Abridgment of Murray’s Grammar, by Lindley Murray; 1819; 2nd ed. [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #48784]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1819. 144 pp. Advertised in Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 30 Aug 1819; p. 3.

The Youth’s Arithmetic; 1819 [wrote & published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #48099] [notices & reviews]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1819. 216 pp. Printed by Lincoln & Stone. Copyright 15 Jan 1819. Bib info for second ed: Hartford: Goodrich, 1820. 188 pp.

note: Goodrich claimed authorship of this work in 1856: “I wrote, myself, a small arithmetic … and published [it].” [Recollections vol 2: 112] The LOC notes that the book is “[a]lso attributed to William Bentley Fowle.” The preface says that the book is by the author of The Child’s Arithmetic: “The success of a small work entitled ‘The Child’s Arithmetic,’ has encouraged the author of it to revise and complete the plan of that hasty performance. This little book is the result, and is now given to the public with a sincere wish that it may serve to facilitate and enliven a study which has hitherto been one of the most difficult and repulsive to which children are brought.” [p. iii]

In the advertisement of the first edition in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut], Goodrich is listed as the seller: “THE YOUTH’S ARITHMETIC, For Sale by S. G. GOODRICH, Price 25 cents.” (29 Nov 1819; p. 3)

Goodrich advertised a number of books for sale; 1820

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 10 Jan 1820; p. 3: a “new edition of the ‘MUSICA SACRA,’ just received”

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 24 Jan 1820; p. 3: Moral Sketches, by Hannah More; Sophia; or, The Dangerous Indiscretion; Greenland, by Montgomery [poem]; Fatal Jest, by W. S. Scott [poem]; Hesitation—Mrs. and Miss Taylor’s Correspondence; Tales of the Hall, by Crabbe; Memoirs of Mrs. Mary Cooper; Affection’s Gift; Flora of Louisiana; Fanny [poem]; Burbank’s Supplementary Letters from Illinois, and reply to W. Cobbett. Also, Blackwood’s Magazine (“The subscriber is agent for this work, and the subscription is now open.”)

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 6 March 1820; p. 3: “JUST RECEIVED, AMERICAN DOMESTIC COOKERY, new—a very valuable book.”; Practical American Gardener

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 17 April 1820; p. 3: “The subscriber has commenced a Repository of Sunday School books on a plan which he trusts will meet with the approbation of the friends of Sunday Schools, as offering a greater variety of appropriate books, rewards, class books, class papers, sheets of hymns, &c. than has heretofore been within their reach, and on terms of accommodation particularly suited to the condition of such schools. A catalogue of the books, &c. to which is annexed some explanations and remarks calculated to assist the teachers of Sunday Schools, will be published in a few days, and will be furnished gratuitously to the friends of the establishment.”

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 8 May 1820; p. 3: “SABBATH SCHOOL BOOKS, Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository

advertisement. Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 12 June 1820; p. 3: Jocelyn’s Bible Atlas: “ …consisting of 9 maps, with explanations; illustrative of Scripture History; designed for the use of children and youth.”

Questions on the Bible, of the Old and New Testaments. In Two Parts; 1820 [published]

bib info: New Haven, Connecticut: Hartford Sunday School Repository, by S. G. Goodrich, 1820. Printed by B. Gleason & Co., Printers. Two parts: Part I: Questions on the Old Testament. Part II: Questions on the New Testament ; 68 pp.

note: Listed in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 May 1820; p. 3), as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3) Other works on this list were published by Goodrich.

Scripture Lessons for Sabbath Schools; 1820? [published?]

note: Listed in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 May 1820; p. 3), as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3) Other works on this list were published by Goodrich.

Sabbath School Questions; 1820? [published?]

note: Listed in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 May 1820; p. 3), as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3). Other works on this list were published by Goodrich.

Hymns for Infant Minds, by Ann Gilbert and Jane Taylor; 1820 [published; Connecticut Historical Society; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #3397]

bib info: New Haven, Connecticut: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1820. 93 pp. Subtitle: “[T]o which are added original Hymns for Sunday Schools, by the same author.”

note: Advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 May 1820; p. 3), as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3). Price: “Price 12 ½ single: $1 per doz.; $7 hundred.” Welch #438.32.

Original Hymns for Sunday Schools; 1820? [published?]

note: “[B]y the author of Hymns for Infant Minds. Listed in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 May 1820; p. 3), as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3). Other works on this list were published by Goodrich.

Sunday School Hymns, comp. Hervey Wilbur; 1820? [published?]

note: “[S]elected by the New-York Sunday School Union Society. Price 8 cts. single. 87 ½ cts. per doz.; $6 per hundred. This book is used very extensively in New-York, in Hartford and the vicinity. It is the second Hartford edition. The price has been heretofore 15 cents in quantities.” So advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 May 1820; p. 3), as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3). Other works on this list were published by Goodrich.

The Robber’s Daughter; or, Sunday School Convert; 1820? [published?]

note: Listed in theConnecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 May 1820; p. 3), as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3). Other works on this list were published by Goodrich.

Memoir of Mowhee, by Basil Woodd; 1820 [published; LOC; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #4321]

bib info: New Haven, Connecticut: S. G. Goodrich, 1820. 24 pp.

note: Advertised in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 8 May 1820; p. 3: “MEMOIR OF MOWHEE, a young New-Zealander, who died at Paddington, England, on Saturday, Dec. 28, 1816 … Price 4 cts. single; 42 cts. per doz.; $2 50 per hundred.” Listed as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3). Welch #1452.2.

Pious Reflections for Every Day of the Month, by Francois Fenelon; 1820 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #1221]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1820. 64 pp.

note: Listed in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 May 1820; p. 3), as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3).

Dr. Watts’ Historical Catechism for Children and Youth, by Isaac Watts; 1820 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #4200]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1820. 24 pp.

note: Listed in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 May 1820; p. 3), as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3).

Blair’s Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles-lettres, Reduced to Question and Answer, by John Marsh; 1820 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #501]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1820. 120 pp.

note: Price, 50 cents. [from an advertisement in A Grammar of Chemistry, by John Lee Comstock]

The Poetical Works of John Trumbull, LL.D., by John Trumbull; 1820 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #3493]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1820. Printed: Lincoln & Stone. 2 vol: vol 1, 177 pp.; vol 2, 235 pp. Engravings drawn by E. Tisdale & engraved by W. H. Bassett

note: “ … I published an edition of Trumbull’s poems, in two volumes, octavo, and paid him a thousand dollars, and a hundred copies of the work, for the copyright. I was seriously counseled against this by several booksellers—and, in fact, Trumbull had sought a publisher, in vain, for several years previous. … For so considerable an enterprise, I took the precaution to get a subscription, in which I was tolerably successful. The work was at last produced, but it did not come up to the public expectation, or the patriotic zeal had cooled, and more than half the subscribers declined taking the work.” [Recollections vol 2: 111]

In the book: Vol 1: biography of Trumbull; “M’Fingal.” Vol 2: “Progress of Dulness”; “Genius of America”; “Lines to Messrs. Dwight and Barlow”; “Ode to Sleep”; “To a Young Lady—A Fable”; “Speech of Proteus—A Translation”; “Prophecy of Balaam”; “Owl and Sparrow—A Fable”; “Prospect of the Future Glory of America”; “On the Vanity of Youthful Expectations”; “Adivce to Ladies of a certain Age”; “Characters”; Elegy, on the Death of Mr. St. John”; “Destruction of Babylon”; “Elegy on the Times”

A Catechism of Scripture Doctrine, by William B. Weeks; 1820; 3rd ed. [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #11382]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1820. 106 pp. Copyright 29 April 1816, by William R. Weeks.

note: Listed in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (8 May 1820; p. 3), as one of the works “Published at the Hartford Sunday School Repository”: Goodrich’s attempt to provide works specifically for Sunday schools (see the Mirror, 17 April 1820; p. 3).

Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott; 1821 [published]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, and Huntington & Hopkins. Printed; P. B. Goodsell. 6 vols.

note: Subscribers were sought in Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut]: “THE WAVERLEY NOVELS COMPLETE AT TEN DOLLARS. S. G. GOODRICH, AND HUNTINGTON & HOPKINS, Propose to publish by subscription, a cheap and elegant edition of the celebrated NOVELS, TALES AND ROMANCES, BY THE AUTHOR OF WAVERLEY Consisting of Waverley; Guy Mannering; Rob Roy; Antiquary; Ivanhoe; Monastery; Abbot; Kennelworth; Tales of My Landlord, 1st, 2d, and 3d series, containing the Black Dwarf, Old Mortality, Heart of Mid-Lotian, Bride of Lammermoor, and Legend of Montrose. The common price of the foregoing Works is 22 dollars in boards; the lowest price at which they have hitherto been offered is 16 dollars 50 cents. … Should there be any future novels by the same author, they will be published to match this edition, and be delivered to subscribers at the same rate.” [18 June 1821; p. 3]

In the books: The Antiquary and Rob Roy were published in one volume. Tales of My Landlord, 2d series includes The Heart of Mid-lothian. Tales of My Landlord, 2d series includes The Bride of Lammermoor and A Legend of Montrose.

Public Statute Laws of the State of Connecticut; 1821 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #5060]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, & Huntington & Hopkins, 1821. 512 pp.

note: 500 copies were given to the State; the rest in the printing were sold for approximately $3 each.

Announced in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] on July 9, 1821: “We understand Messrs. Samuel G. Goodrich & Huntington & Hopkins—booksellers of this city—are employed by the committee of the Legislature to publish the revised Statutes of this State.” [p. 2] Issue was taken by the editor of the New Haven Journal, who also had bid for the project and felt that he had been the lowest bidder; his complaints and some reactions are scattered through Hartford and New Haven newspapers for July and early August 1821.

Rudiments of Geography, on a New Plan, by William C. Woodbridge and Emma Willard; 1821; 2nd ed., 1822 [published; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #11473]

bib info for 2nd ed: Hartford, Samuel G. Goodrich, 1822. 208 pp.

note: First edition announced in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut]: “The subscriber has in press and will be offered for sale by the booksellers next week, a work on Geography, for the use of schools, of the following title;—‘RUDIMENTS OF GEOGRAPHY,’ … by William C. Woodbridge, … price $1 25. … Teachers and school committees can be supplied with the work for examination, gratis.” [19 Nov 1821; p. 3]

The book was advertised as for sale by Huntington & Hopkins in the Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] (3 Dec 1821; p. 3). Apparently it was quite popular: an advertisement in the Times for the second edition claims that “the first edition was sold in sixty days after its publication, and … the publisher had orders for 2000 copies more before the second could be completed.” [14 May 1822; p. 3] The second edition was advertised in the Times, “[f]or sale by [Goodrich], and the booksellers generally.” [14 May 1822; p. 3]

A thorough review of the work appeared in the 3 December 1821 issue of the Connecticut Mirror [p. 2]; it credits Woodbridge and Emma Willard as co-authors.

Goodrich refers to this work in his Recollections: “William C. Woodbridge, one of the teachers of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, at this time projected a school geography, in which I assisted him—mostly in preparing the details of the work for the press, and in the mechanical department. When an edition of it was finally ready—after long and anxious labor, both on his part and mine—the state of my health compelled me to relinquish it.” [vol 2: 113]

Two atlases were published to accompany this work: “S. G. Goodrich has published two Atlases to accompany this work; a larger Atlas, which appeared with the first edition, and a minor Atlas with four maps, recently prepared. Teachers and Booksellers who order the Geography, will please to be particular in designating which Atlas they wish.” [from notice in A Grammar of Chemistry]

Atlas on a New Plan; 1822 [published; LOC]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1822.

note: One of two atlases published to accompany Rudiments of Geography, on a New Plan: “S. G. Goodrich has published two Atlases to accompany this work; a larger Atlas, which appeared with the first edition, and a minor Atlas with four maps, recently prepared. Teachers and Booksellers who order the Geography, will please to be particular in designating which Atlas they wish.” [from notice in A Grammar of Chemistry]

Woodbridge’s Larger Atlas, by William C. Woodbridge; 1822 [published; AAS] Also Atlas On a New Plan? [published; LOC]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1822. 16 leaves. Copyright 20 April 1822 by William C. Woodbridge & Emma Willard.

note: One of two atlases published to accompany Rudiments of Geography, on a New Plan: “S. G. Goodrich has published two Atlases to accompany this work; a larger Atlas, which appeared with the first edition, and a minor Atlas with four maps, recently prepared. Teachers and Booksellers who order the Geography, will please to be particular in designating which Atlas they wish.” [from notice in A Grammar of Chemistry]

Cabinet of Curiosities, Natural, Artificial, and Historical; 1822 [edited; copyrighted; published?; AAS; LOC; NYPL; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #8860]

bib info: Hartford: n. p., 1822. 2 vol. Vol 1, 420 pp.; vol 2, 332 pp. Printed: E. & H. Clark, Middletown, Connecticut

note: Goodrich’s name does not appear on the title page of either volume; he’s listed on the copyright page of volume 1 (there is no copyright page in volume 2). Given some of the subjects in volume 2, Goodrich may have had little to do with that volume.

From the preface, vol 1: “The object of this work is not to play upon credulity, or minister food to superstition. On the contrary, its design is to instruct those who read it, by introducing them to an acquaintance with the wonderful works of Nature and Art, and with some of the most extraordinary deeds and occurrences, which the history of man affords.

in the books: Vol 1: “Atmospherical Phenomena”; “Mountains; “Subterranean Curiosities”; “Earthquakes”; “Connexion of Earthquakes with Volcanoes”; “Basaltic and Rocky Curiosities”; “Natural Bridges”; “Geological Changes”; “Mines”; “Miscellaneous Subjects Connected with Mineralogy”; “Salt Mines”; “Phenomena of the Ocean”; “Rivers”; “Lakes”; “Cataracts and Cascades”; “Springs and Wells”; “Bituminous and Mud Lakes”; “Miscellaneous Curiosities of Nature”; “Curiosities of Art”; “Pyramids, Monuments, &c.”; “Egyptian Temples and Monuments”; “Canals and Bridges”; “Fortresses”; “Ruins”; “Miscellaneous Curiosities of Art.” With 24 illustrations printed at the end of the volume.
Vol 2: “Remarkable Escapes”; “Curious Medical Cases”; “Curious Inventions”; “Robberies, Murders, Swindling, &c.”; “Battles, Heroism, Sieges, &c.”; “Extraordinary Powers of Mind or Memory, Anecdotes of Eminent Persons, &c.”; “Battles, &c.”; “Predictions, Dreams, Warnings, Omens, Juggling, Supposed Ghosts, Supposed Witchcraft, &c.”; “Instinct, Affection of Brutes, &c.”; “Historical and Miscellaneous Facts, Stories, &c.”; “Strange and Curious Things”; “Shipwrecks”; “Saints, Relics, &c.”

A Grammar of Natural and Experimental Philosophy, by David Blair; 1822 [published]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1822. 216 pp. “From the 12th London edition.”

note: Price, 75 cents. Apparently intended as the first volume of a series “which shall comprise a complete course of Natural Science”; the second volume was A Grammar of Chemistry, by John Lee Comstock.

A Grammar of Chemistry, by John Lee Comstock; 1822 [purchased copyright of & published]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1822. 250 pp.: text, pp. 10-228; vocabulary, pp. 229-245; index, pp. 247-250

note: “This work is designed as the 2d volume of a series, which shall comprise a complete course of Natural Science adapted to the use of schools and academies—the first volume is an improved edition of Blair’s Grammar of Natural and Experimental Philosophy, recently published, a notice of which preceeds the title to this work.”

From the preface: “The Publisher of this work having it in view to present to the public a series of volumes comprising a complete course of Natural Science, adapted to the use of schools and academies, put into my hands a London copy of Rev. David Blair’s Grammar of Chemistry, for the purpose of having it revised and adapted to the foregoing plan. On examination, however, it seemed to be executed with far less felicity than the other works of the same author: it appeared throughout, to display in the writer a want of that intimate and familiar acquaintance with the subject, without which any attempt to adapt it to the capacity of youth must necessarily fail.

“Under these circumstances, the author chose rather to write a new work, adopting the plan only of Blair, which is doubtless excellent. … [p. iv]

“In the preparation of the work, the author has endeavored to keep carefully in view the capacities of those for whom he has written, and as far as was deemed consistent with accuracy, has preferred common to technical language. He has thought it, however, still more important to illustrate and enforce every step of the pupil’s progress by simple illustrations and easy experiments. And as the study of chemistry must be almost fruitless, without experiments actually performed before the pupil, the author has taken pains to select such utensils and such experiments, as to put it in the power of teachers, to perform them in their schools.” [pp. iii-iv]

History of the United States of America (also A History of the United States), by Charles A. Goodrich; 1822 [published; AAS] [reviewed]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1822. 344 pp.

bib info for 14th edition: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1826.

bib info for 17th edition: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1827.

The Connecticut Civil Officer, by John M. Niles; 1823 [published?]

note: Subscriptions were sought in Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 21 January 1822; p. 3: “For publishing by subscription, a work to be entitled THE CONNECTICUT CIVIL OFFICER, Comprising a compendious and accurate view of the powers and duties of Justices of the Peace, Select Men and Constables; With suitable forms for their most usual and important proceedings. BY JOHN M. NILES, ESQ. Associate Judge of the County Court for Hartford County.” The work was “intended to be a convenient and safe guide and directory to Justices of the Peace, Select Men and Constables, in the discharge of their official duties …. It is also intended to form a convenient manual, especially for magistrates … [and] will contain numerous forms, both in civil and criminal proceedings, calculated to facilitate, and insure accuracy in the discharge of their various official duties. … The work will contain about 400 large 8vo. pages…. The price to subscribers will be two dollars, payable on delivery. To non subscribers the price will be two dollars fifty cents.”

The book was advertised in the Mirror 19 May 1823; p. 3: “HUNTINGTON & HOPKINS, Booksellers and Stationers, Have just published and have for sale at their store, Main-street, (opposite the State House,) Hartford. The Connecticut CIVIL OFFICER, IN THREE PARTS … Price $1 50.—Persons taking six copies, will be allowed a seventh gratis.”

untitled poem about Sarah Bishop, 1823 [online]

bib info: Connecticut Mirror [Hartford, Connecticut] 25 Aug 1823; p. 3.

note: The poem was, Goodrich pointed out, “the first verses … that I ever published. I gave them to Brainard, then editor of the Mirror, at Hartford, and he inserted them.” [Recollections vol 1: 296] Goodrich knew Bishop during his boyhood: “She sometimes visited our family—the only one thus favored in the town—and occasionally remained overnight. She never would eat with us at the table, nor engage in general conversation. Upon her early history she was invariably silent; indeed, she spoke of her affairs with great reluctance. She neither seemed to have sympathy for others, nor to ask it in return. If there was any exception, it was only in respect to the religious exercises of the family: she listened intently to the reading of the Bible, and joined with apparent devotion in the morning and evening prayer. I have very often seen this eccentric personage stealing into the church, or moving along the street, or wending her way through lane and footpath up to her mountain home. She always appeared desirous of escaping notice, and though her step was active, she had a gliding, noiseless movement, which seemed to ally her to the spirit-world. In my rambles among the mountains, I have seen her passing through the forest, or sitting silent as a statue upon the prostrate trunk of a tree, or perchance upon a stone or mound, scarcely to be distinguished from the inanimate objects—wood, earth, and rock—around her.” [Recollections vol 1: 293]

Poems, by James Percival; 1823 [assisted in publication & wrote biography of Percival for British edition; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #13726]

bib info: New York: Charles Wiley, 1823. 396 pp.

note: Goodrich decided to “have a handsome edition of Percival’s poems published for his benefit, and under such influences as to make it profitable to him. The matter was talked over between [Goodrich, Percival, and James Fenimore Cooper], and before we parted, it was all arranged. I at once drew up a prospectus, and had it printed. I wrote a contract between Percival and the publisher, Charles Wiley, and had it duly signed. Mr. Cooper took the prospectus in hand, and aided by the powerful assistance of Mr. Bronson, Percival’s college classmate, the subscription was actively pushed.” [Recollections vol 2: 135] After Percival contracted with another publisher to print his poems, the business was untangled; and the poems published. Goodrich took a copy with him to England, to have it published—and copyrighted—there: “On reaching London, I made a contract with John Miller for the publication of the poems in two volumes 12mo—half the profits to go to the author. I also wrote for it a brief biographical notice. A very handsome edition soon appeared, and attracted some attention, but excited no enthusiasm in London. On the whole, the publication was a failure.” [Recollections vol 2: 138]

A notice of the book, signed “W.”, appeared in the Connecticut Mirror in Dec 1822: “I perceive that an elegant edition of Mr. Percival’s Poems is about to appear in New-York, for the benefit of the Author. I understand that it is to comprise such of the author’s published works as he wishes to perpetuate, rejecting those which severer criticism would condemn, and such, as on account of the sentiments expressed in them, maturer reflection does not approve. Some pieces not yet before the public, it is expected will be added to the collection. A prospectus of the work is now in town, and I sincerely hope that it will find a ready and extensive patronage. I do not expect that every body will subscribe—some cannot afford it, and among those who can, there are doubtless many, who will not. … At all events, those who know Mr. Percival’s character, or have inferred from his works, his retiring, unobtrusive nature, will see that there must be good reason for this appeal, and that it is cold hearted and base to deny him.” [16 Dec 1822; p. 3]

Occasional Pieces of Poetry, by John G. C. Brainard; 1825 [assisted in publication; AAS; Early American Imprints, 2nd series, #19849]

bib info: New York: E. Bliss & E. White, 1825. 111 pp. Copyright 17 March 1825, by Brainard.

note: In 1824, Goodrich “had persuaded Brainard to make a collection of his poems, and have them published. At first his lip curled at the idea, as being too pretentious; he insisted that he had done nothing to justify the publication of a volume. Gradually he began to think of it, and at length—March 14, 1825—I induced him to sign a contract, authorizing me to make arrangements for the work. He set about the preparation, and at length—after much lagging and many lapses—the pieces were selected and arranged. When all was ready, I persuaded him to go to New York with me, to settle the matter with a publisher. I introduced him to Bliss & White, and they readily undertook it, on the terms of joint and equal profits.” [Recollections vol 2: 155]

Blair’s Outlines of Chronology, Ancient and Modern, by John Blair; 1825 [published; LOC; extract online] [reviewed]

bib info: Hartford: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1825. 174 pp. Copyright 5 July 1825.

note: This volume advertises Blair’s Outlines of History, four works which “are in hand, and will appear soon.” The titles are Outlines of Ancient History, Outlines of Modern History, Outlines of Ecclesiastical History, and Outlines of the History of Greece, probably published as Blair’s Outlines of the History of Ancient Greece.

An Outline of Bible History, by Charles A. Goodrich; 1825 [published; AAS]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1825. 118 pp.

Blair’s Outlines of the History of Ancient Greece, by John Blair; 1826 [published; AAS]

bib info: Hartford: S. G. Goodrich, 1826.

note: As advertised in Blair’s Outlines of Chronology, Ancient and Modern, apparently intended to be a volume in Blair’s Outlines of History, four works which “are in hand, and will appear soon.” The other titles listed are Outlines of Ancient History, Outlines of Modern History, and Outlines of Ecclesiastical History. Histories of Rome, England, and France also were planned. The entire series appears not to have been published.

Outlines of Modern Geography on a New Plan, Carefully Adapted to Youth, by Charles Goodrich; 1826; 2nd ed. [published; AAS; LOC]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1826. 252 pp. Copyright 6 May 1826.

Atlas Accompanying Rev. C. A. Goodrich’s Outlines of Modern Geography; 1826 [published; LOC]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich; M’Carty & Davis, 1826.

Blair’s Outlines of Ancient History, by John Blair; 1827 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1827. 408 pp.

note: Perhaps a volume in Blair’s Outlines of History, advertised in Blair’s Outlines of Chronology, Ancient and Modern, as four works which “are in hand, and will appear soon.” The other titles listed are Outlines of the History of Ancient Greece, Outlines of Modern History, and Outlines of Ecclesiastical History. Histories of Rome, England, and France also were planned. The entire series appears not to have been published.

A Geographical View of the United States, 1827 [purchased copyright of; LOC; MNU]

bib info: Boston: printed for A. K. White, 1827. 130 pp.; with 2-page index. Copyright 3 November 1827.

A Tale of Paraguay, by Robert Southey; 1827 [published; LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1827. 209 pp.

Elements of Mineralogy, by John Lee Comstock; 1827 [published; LOC]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1827. 338 pp.

note: “In the execution of the following work, the author has endeavoured, 1st. To make the subject easily understood by avoiding scientific terms, when common words would convey the meaning. 2d. To condense its size as much as possible, by the employment of method in the language of description, and by the omission of all useless words, and 3d. To make the book interesting to common readers, by the insertion of curious particulars. … The work of Professor Cleveland, though undoubtedly the best which has been published, is too expensive, and voluminous for general circulation. That of Phillips, is entirely wanting in respect to distinctive characters, nor have his late editions yet been printed in this country. The Manual of Aikin, is too concise, to give the learner a proper knowledge of the science. These are the only books which have been published in this country on Mineralogy. Under such circumstances, it was thought that a work containing the elements of the science, and of such a size as to come within the means of almost every one, was much wanted, and if well done, would facilitate the progress of science in our country.” [“Advertisement.” p. iii]

Poems, by Lydia H. Sigourney; 1827 [published; LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1827. Hartford, Connecticut: H. & F. J. Huntington. 228 pp. Copyright 5 July 1827.

Sketches, by N. P. Willis; 1827 [published; LOC]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1827. 96 pp. Copyright 30 November 1827. Printed: Boston: Press of the Christian Examiner. Stephen Foster, Printer. On the cover: “Willis’ Poems”

note: Goodrich called this Willis’ “first adventure in responsible authorship.” [Recollections vol 2: 255]

In the book: “The Sacrifice of Abraham”; “Absalom”; “Hagar in the Wilderness”; “Jephthah’s Daughter”; “Idleness”; “Dreams”; “October”; “Boyhood”; “Night Sketches”; “Twilight”; “Dawn”; “Scraps from a Journal”; “Better Moments”; “The Hindoo Mother”; “Waiting for the Harvesters”; “The Soldier’s Widow”; “The Burial of Arnold”; “To Laura W—”; “Sonnets”; “Extract from a Poem Delivered at the Departure of the Senior Class of Yale College in 1826”

“The Soldier’s Widow,” “Waiting for the Harvesters,” and “The Hindoo Mother” were reprinted in The Token, for 1828.

Mrs. Opie’s Works, by Amelia Opie; 1827 [published; AAS; LOC]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1827. Multiple volumes.

note: “I … published an edition of Hannah More’s works, and also of Mrs. Opie’s works—these being, I believe, the first complete collections of the writings of these several authors.” [Recollections vol 2: 255]

The Works of Hannah More, by Hannah More; 1827 [published; AAS]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1827. 2 vol.

note: “I … published an edition of Hannah More’s works, and also of Mrs. Opie’s works—these being, I believe, the first complete collections of the writings of these several authors.” [Recollections vol 2: 255]

The Novels of Charles Brockden Brown, by Charles Brockden Brown; 1827 [published; LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1827. Several volumes Printed: Isaac R. Butts & Co.

In the books: Vol 1, “Memoir of Charles Brockden Brown” (pp. iii-xxiv); Wieland (pp. [iii]-iv, [5]-227). Vol 2, Arthur Mervyn, vol 1 (pp. [iii]-iv, [5]-195). Vol 3, Arthur Mervyn, vol 2 (pp. 3-108). Vol 4, Edgar Huntly (pp. [iii]-iv, [5]-253). Vol 5, Jane Talbot (pp. [3]-234. Vol 6, Clara Howard [missing from my set]

note: Goodrich on the work: “ … among other works I published an edition of the novels of Charles Brockden Brown, with a life of the author, furnished by his widow, she having a share of the edition.” [Recollections vol 2: 255]

Tales of Peter Parley about America; 1827, rev 1828 [G; LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL; AAS & MNU also have French translation] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1827. 144 pp. Page 144 misnumbered as page 142. Copyright 24 February 1827.

note: On the publishing of this work: “Though I was busily engaged in publishing various works, I found time to make my long meditated experiment in the writing of books for children. The first attempt was made in 1827, and bore the title of the Tales of Peter Parley about America. No persons but my wife and one of my sisters were admitted to the secret—for in the first place, I hesitated to believe that I was qualified to appear before the public as an author, and in the next place, nursery literature had not then acquired the respect in the eyes of the world it now enjoys. … I published my little book, and let it make its way. It came before the world untrumpeted, and for some months seemed not to attract the slightest attention. Suddenly I began to see notices of it in the papers, all over the country, and in a year from the date of its publication, it had become a favorite.” [Recollections vol 2: 279]

The Library of Congress’s copy of the first edition was reproduced as a volume in Garland’s “Classics of Children’s Literature, 1621-1932,” with a reproduction of Tales of Travels West of the Mississippi: New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1977. America is edited by Morris I. Cohen, who includes a bibliography of Goodrich’s works; the bibliography lists editions of America up to 1860.

A second edition of America was reproduced in 1974: New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1974. Edited by Barrows Mussey.

The Legendary: Prospectus for a periodical work to called the Legendary; 1827 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: n.p., Dec 1, 1827. The prospectus also appears in volume 1 of The Legendary.

The Legendary, ed. N. P. Willis; 1828 [published] [table of contents] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Samuel Goodrich, 1828. Vol 1: 286 pp.; Vol 2: 278 pp.

note: Volume 1 copyright 16 May 1828; volume 2 copyright 26 November 1828. Goodrich discusses the work in his Recollections [vol 2: 256-259].

Outlines of Political Economy, by Richard Phillips; 1828 [published; LOC]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1828. 216 pp. Copyright 2 July 1828.

note: “On the plan of the Rev. David Blair. Adapted to the use of schools in the United States of America.” Compiled “largely from the ‘Conversations on Political Economy,’ ” with notes and questions by the compiler.

Beauties of the Waverley Novels; 1828 [published] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1828. 456 pp. Copyright 23 January 1828.

Beauties of the Souvenirs for 1828; 1828 [published & copyrighted; AAS]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1828. 244 pp.

Sad Tales and Glad Tales, by Grenville Mellen; 1828 [published; LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1828. 185 pp. Copyright 8 May 1828.

Llalla Rookh, by Thomas Moore; 1828 [published; LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1828. 302 pp.

Records of the Spanish Inquisition; 1828 [published; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1828. 280 pp.

Whimwhams, by Four of Us, by Henry J. Finn, Moses Whitney, James W. Miller, & Oliver C. Wyman; 1828 [published; LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1828. LOC identified the writers from Cushing’s Initials and Pseudonyms.

Tales of Peter Parley about Europe; 1828 [wrote & published; G; LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1828. 136 pp. Copyright 5 June 1828.

The Child’s Botany; 1828 [wrote & published; LOC; MNU; AAS] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: S. Goodrich, 1828. 115 pp. Copyright 7 May 1828.

The American Journal of Education; 1828 [published that year only]

A History of the Kings and Queens of France, transl. from French; 1828 [published; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Samuel G. Goodrich, 1828. 140 pp. Copyright 16 February 1828.

Outlines of the History of Ancient Rome; 1828 [wrote & published; LOC; SGG]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1828. 312 pp. Copyright 9 August 1828.

The Token (edited), 1828-1842 [G; LOC; MNU; NYPL; some volumes online] [reviewed]

Titled The Token and Atlantic Souvenir; 1834-1842. Leavitt & Allen apparently purchased the title and used it for a very different work from the Token. Goodrich discusses the work in some detail in his Recollections [vol 2: 259-275]. A list of pieces printed in these volumes is online.

bib info:

The Token, for 1828. Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1827. Copyright 6 October 1827. Several plates & pieces reprinted in The Garland, for 1831. New York: C. H. Peabody, 1830.

The Token, for 1829, ed. N. P. Willis. Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1828. Copyright 30 August 1828 Several plates & pieces reprinted in The Garland, for 1831. New York: C. H. Peabody, 1830.

The Token, for 1830. Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1829. Copyright 20 August 1829 [misprinted 1828]. [online]

The Token, for 1831. Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1830. Copyright 10 August 1830. [online]

The Token, for 1832. Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1831. [online]

The Token; and Atlantic Souvenir, for 1833. Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1832. [online]

The Token; and Atlantic Souvenir, for 1834. Boston: Charles Bowen, 1833.

The Token; and Atlantic Souvenir, for 1835. Boston: Charles Bowen, 1834.

The Token; and Atlantic Souvenir, for 1836. Boston: Charles Bowen, 1835. [online]

The Token; and Atlantic Souvenir, for 1837, ed. Samuel Griswold Goodrich. Boston: Charles Bowen, 1836.

The Token; and Atlantic Souvenir, for 1838. Boston: American Stationers’ Co., 1837. Also as The Token, for 1838. Hartford, Connecticut: S. Andrus & Co., 1837.

The Token; and Atlantic Souvenir, for 1839. Boston: Otis, Broaders, & Co., 1838.

The Token; and Atlantic Souvenir, for 1840. Boston: Otis, Broaders, & Co., 1839. Reprinted with different engravings, as The Moss Rose, for 1846. (New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1846)

The Token; and Atlantic Souvenir, for 1841. Boston: W. D. Ticknor, 1840. Reprinted with different engravings, as The Moss Rose, for 1847. (New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1847)

The Token, and Atlantic Souvenir. Boston: David H. Williams, 1842.

The American Common-place Book of Prose, by George Cheever; 1828 [published; LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1828. 468 pp. Copyright 15 May 1828.

note: Goodrich includes this work in a list of books he published in 1828-1830: “[In 1828] I issued the Common-place Book of Prose, the first work of the now celebrated Dr. Cheever. This was speedily followed by the Common-place Book of Poetry and Studies in Poetry, by the same author.” [Recollections vol 2: 255]

in the book: Extracts of works by James Fenimore Cooper, Grenville Mellen, Catherine Sedgwick, Sarah Josepha Hale, Charles Brockden Brown, Lydia Sigourney, Daniel Webster, and Washington Irving, among others. The frontispiece is “The Twins,” from the Token for 1828; the vignette on the title page appears at the end of an 1841 copy of A Present from Peter Parley to All His Little Friends.

The American Common-place Book of Poetry, by George Cheever; 1829 [published?; AAS; LOC] Also The Poets of America, with Occasional Notes [reviewed]

bib info for 1831 ed: Boston: Carter, Hendee & Babcock, 1831. Baltimore: Charles Carter, 1831. 405 pp. Copyright 7 January 1831. bib info as The Poets of America: Hartford: S. Andrus & Son, 1847.

note: Goodrich lists this among works by Cheever which he published in 1828-1830: “[In 1828] I issued the Common-place Book of Prose, the first work of the now celebrated Dr. Cheever. This was speedily followed by the Common-place Book of Poetry and Studies in Poetry, by the same author.” [Recollections vol 2: 255] While the copyright notice in almost all the copies described in the AAS’s online catalog has this book copyrighted in 1831 by Carter, Hendee, & Babcock, the description of The Poets of America notes that the works was first published in 1829 as the American Common-place Book of Poetry.

from the preface to the 1831 edition: “The unexpected favor, with which the American Common-Place of Prose was received, encouraged its publishers to hope that a similar volume of extracts from American poetry might be attended with the same success. It is true, that there are more good prose writers in our country than there are poets; but it would be strange, indeed, if enough of really excellent poetry could not be found to fill a volume like this. It is not pretended that every piece, in the following selection, is a stately and perfect song, inspired by “the vision and the faculty divine,” and containing, throughout, the true power and spirit of harmony; but every lover of poetry will find much to delight a cultivated imagination, and much to set him on thinking; and every religious mind will be pleased that a volume of American poetry, so variously selected, presents so many pages imbued with the feelings of devotion. … All the pieces in this volume are of the purest moral character; and, considering its limits, and the comparative scantiness of American poetry, a good number of them contain, in an uncommon degree, the religous and poetical spirit united.” (Boston: American Stationers’ Company, n.d.; pp.3-5)

Memoirs of a New England Village Choir; 1829 [published; LOC] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich & Co., 1829. 149 pp.

A Sermon Occasioned by the Death of John Gorham, M. D., by John Gorham Palfrey; 1829 [published; LOC]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich & Co., 1829. 23 pp. Printed at the press of Isaac R. Butts

note: “Preached at the Church in Brattle Square, Boston, April 9th, 1829.” The sermon is fairly generic; the pamphlet includes a biography of Dr. Gorham and a brief history of his family in the United States.

Memoirs of Simon Bolivar, Simon Bolivar; 1829 [published]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich & Co., 1829.

Mary’s Journey; A German Tale, by Francis Graeter; 1829 [purchased copyright of & published] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich & Co., 1829. 128 pp. Copyright 30 April 1829.

A Natural History of the Most Remarkable Quadrupeds, Birds, Fishes, Serpents, Reptiles and Insects, by Mary Trimmer; 1829 [purchased copyright of] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich & Co., 1829. AAS copy: Boston: Hilliard, Gray, Little and Wilkins, 1829. 233 pp. “Abridged and improved.”

The Garland of Flora, comp. Dorothea Dix; 1829 [published; LOC]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich & Co. and Carter & Hendee, 1829. 188 pp.

Specimens of American Poetry, with Critical and Biographical Notices, by Samuel Kettell; 1829 [published & wrote biography of J. G. C. Brainard for; AAS; LOC] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich & Co., 1829. Copyright 4 April 1829. 3 vols: Vol 1: 353 pp.; Vol 2: 408 pp.; Vol 3: 406 pp. With a chronological “Catalogue of American Poetry” beginning in 1640.

note: On the creation of this work: “I projected the … work, and employed Mr. F. S. Hill as editor. He began it, collected materials, and wrote the first part of it. At his instance, I had purchased nearly one hundred scarce books for the enterprise. The work, thus begun, the plan indicated, the materials to a great extent at command, with numerous articles actually written, passed into Mr. Kettell’s hands. … [C]onsidering the extent of the undertaking, and that it was then a new enterprise, compelling the editor to grope in the mazes of a new and unexplored wilderness, … Mr. Kettell displayed a tolerable degree of patience and research, and a fair share of critical sagacity. But nevertheless, the work was a most disastrous failure, involving me not only in a pecuniary loss of fifteen hundred dollars, but the mortification of having the work pass into a kind of proverb of misfortune or misjudgment. More than once I have heard it spoken of as ‘Goodrich’s Kettle of Poetry!’ This arose, no doubt, partly from the idea then encouraged by the critics, that it was the height of folly for us, Americans, to pretend to have any literature. To include the writings of Timothy Dwight, Joel Barlow, and Phillis Wheatley in a book called Poetry, was then deemed a great offense at the bar of criticism.” [Recollections vol 2: 288-289] Interestingly, none of Wheatley’s poems are included in the collection; her book is listed in the extensive “Catalogue of American Poetry,” with an early mention of Tamerlane, by Edgar Allan Poe.

Goodrich on Brainard’s biography: “The sketch of him in Kettell’s ‘Specimens,’ I furnished, soon after his death.” [Recollections vol 2: 145]

Stories About Captain John Smith, of Virginia; 1829 [LOC; NYPL]

bib info: Hartford: H. & F. J. Huntington, 1829. 100 pp.

Peter Parley’s Method of Telling About Geography; 1829 [LOC; AAS; NYPL]; title on cover also Peter Parley’s Geography for Children; 1840; as Parley’s Geography for Beginners, at Home and School; 1844 [G; LOC; AAS; excerpts online] [reviewed]

bib info: Hartford: H. & F. J. Huntington, 1829. 122 pp. Copyright 19 August 1829.

note: The illustrations of national costumes were reprinted several times in various works by Goodrich or by others. According to Goodrich, “This work was remodeled and reproduced in 1844, under the name of ‘Parley’s Geography for Beginners, at Home and School.’ Two millions of copies of it were sold: the publisher paid me three hundred dollars for the copyright, and made his fortune by it.” [Recollections vol 2: 540]

Goodrich published Peter Parley’s Method of Telling About the History of the World as a companion volume in 1832.

chapbooks, 1829

Several were reprinted in Peter Parley’s Winter Evening Tales or in Peter Parley’s Juvenile Tales. Almost all appear in a list of chapbooks issued as “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.”

Peter Parley’s Story of the Trapper; 1829 [LOC; online]

bib info: Boston: Watt & Dow, 1829.
bib info for 1830 ed: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1830. 16 pp.

note: LOC copy (& mine) has label pasted on cover: “New York: Sold by Peaslee and Cowperthwait”; label over publisher’s name on title page: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1830. On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.” While this title was copyrighted as one of “Peter Parley’s Winter Evening Tales,” it doesn’t appear in that collectionf.


Peter Parley’s Story of Alice Green; 1829 [LOC]

bib info on 1830 ed: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1830. 16 pp. “One of Peter Parley’s Winter Evening Tales.”

note: Listed in the advertisement on the back of Peter Parley’s Story of the Trapper. On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.” Perhaps reprinted in A Present from Peter Parley to All His Little Friends.


Peter Parley’s Story of the Bird’s Nest; 1829 [LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich & Co., 1829. 16 pp. On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.” LOC copy has imprint on cover: Boston: Carter & Hendee.


Peter Parley’s Story of the Truants; 1829 [repr in Peter Parley’s Winter-Evening Tales]

note: On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.”


Peter Parley’s Story of the Faithful Dog; 1829 [LOC] Also Peter Parley’s Story of the Two Friends; or, Harry and His Dog.

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich & Co., 1829. 16 pp.
bib info as Peter Parley’s Story of the Two Friends; or, Harry and His Dog: Boston: Allen & Ticknor, 1833. 16 pp.

note: Reprinted in Peter Parley’s Juvenile Tales. On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.”


Peter Parley’s Story of the Little Soldiers; 1829 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1829. 16 pp.

note: Reprinted in Peter Parley’s Juvenile Tales. On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.”


Peter Parley’s Story of the Winter Evening Story; 1829 [repr in Peter Parley’s Winter-Evening Tales?]

On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.”

note: Perhaps One of Peter Parley’s Evening Tales, below.


Peter Parley’s Story of the Mocking Bird; 1829 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1830. 16 pp. Copyright 27 March 1829.

note: Reprinted in Peter Parley’s Juvenile Tales. On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.”


Peter Parley’s Story of the Little Prisoners; 1829 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich & Co., 1829. 16 pp. Copyright 15 April 1829.

note: On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.” Reprinted in Peter Parley’s Juvenile Tales.


Peter Parley’s Story of the Little Drummer; 1829 [LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: S. G. Goodrich & Co., 1829. 16 pp. Copyright 2 May 1829.

note: Reprinted in Peter Parley’s Juvenile Tales. On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.”


Peter Parley’s Story of the Spider and the Fly, by Mary Howitt; 1829 [purchased copyright of; AAS; LOC] Also as Peter Parley’s Fable of the Spider and the Fly [LOC]

bib info: Boston: Carter and Hendee, 1830. 16 pp. Copyright 24 Oct 1829.

note: In the LOC copy, the Carter & Hendee imprint appears on a label covering the following imprint: Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1830. The cover has a label pasted to it: New York: Peaslee & Cowperthwaite. In my copy, the Carter and Hendee imprint is printed on the title page; Goodrich’s imprint (Boston: S. G. Goodrich, 1830.) appears on a label pasted above Carter and Hendee’s imprint; thus both publishers are credited. On the front cover appears a pasted-on label: “New York: sold by Peaslee and Cowperthwaite.” On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.” Originally in Peter Parley’s Winter-Evening Tales.


Peter Parley’s Story of Little Marion; 1829 [AAS]

bib info: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1830. 16 pp.

note: Originally printed in Peter Parley’s Winter-Evening Tales. AAS copy has Carter & Hendee imprint on a cancel slip on the title page, over Goodrich’s imprint. On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.”


Peter Parley’s Story of the Soldier and His Dog; 1829 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: n.p., 1830. 16 pp. Copyright 24 Oct 1829.

note: Originally printed in Peter Parley’s Winter-Evening Tales. On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.”


Peter Parley’s Tales of the Elephant; 1829 [online]

bib info: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1830. 16 pp. Copyright 24 Oct 1829. On the cover: Peter Parley’s Story of the Elephant and Other Animals

note: Cover reads “BOSTON: CARTER & HENDEE. 1830.” Copyrighted as one of “Peter Parley’s Winter Evening Tales” and reprinted in that collection. On list of “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.”


One of Peter Parley’s Evening Stories; 1829 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1830. 16 pp. Copyright 24 Oct 1829. On the cover: One of Peter Parley’s Winter Evening Tales

note: My copy has a cancel slip on the cover reading “NEW YORK: sold by Peaslee and Cowperthwait [rest torn off]” Copyrighted as one of “Peter Parley’s Winter Evening Tales.” In that collection as “The Wig.”

Studies in Poetry, by George Cheever; 1829 [owned copyright of; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1830. 480 pp. Copyright 31 Dec 1829.

note: Goodrich lists this work among books he published after 1828: “[In 1828] I issued the Common-place Book of Prose, the first work of the now celebrated Dr. Cheever. This was speedily followed by the Common-place Book of Poetry and Studies in Poetry, by the same author.” [Recollections vol 2: 255]

Peter Parley’s Winter-Evening Tales; 1830 [G; LOC; AAS; PHL; online] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1830. 112 pp. Copyright 24 October 1829.

In the book: “A Winter Evening in the Country”; “The Truants”; “Fable of the Spider and the Fly”; “Story of Little Marion”; “Story of the Soldier and His Dog”; “Story of a Wig.”

note: Stories reprinted from chapbooks published 1829-1830 in a series titled “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.”

The World Displayed, in Its History and Geography, by Royal Robbins; 1830 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: New York: W. W. Reed & Co., 1830. 2 vol. Copyright 19 January 1830.

Outlines of Ancient History, by Royal Robbins; 1830 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: Hartford: Edward Hopkins, 1834. 396 pp.

note: Given the discrepancy between the copyright date & the date of publication, this work may be abridged from The World Displayed; both works were copyrighted 19 January 1830.

Peter Parley’s Tales of Animals; 1830 [G; LOC; PHL; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1830. 342 pp. Copyright 24 February 1830.

Peter Parley’s Juvenile Tales; 1830 [G; LOC; AAS; online]

bib info: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1830. Boston: n. p., 1830. page numbers vary. Copyright 27 April 1830.

In the book: “The Bird’s Nest”; “The Faithful Dog”; “The Little Soldiers”; “The Little Drummer”; “The Little Prisoners”; “The Mocking Bird”; “The Mask”; “The Little Sailor.”

note: Apparently reprints of chapbooks published as “Peter Parley’s Smaller Tales.” However, “The Mask” was copyrighted on 30 August 1829 by Joseph P. Cooke and published as a chapbook “in imitation of the Tales of Peter Parley.” Goodrich appears to have appropriated the text and published it as his own.

Tales of Peter Parley about Africa; 1830 [G; LOC; AAS; MNU; PHL]

bib info: Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1830. 128 pp. Copyright 7 October 1830.

The Malte Brun School Geography; 1830 [G; LOC; AAS; NYPL; also A System of School Geography, Chiefly Derived from Malte-Brun] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1830. 320 pp. New York: F. J. Huntington & Co., 1830. 320 pp. Copyright 8 October 1830.

Atlas Designed to Illustrate the Malte-Brun School Geography; 1830 [LOC; AAS; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1830. Hartford, Connecticut: H. & F. J. Huntington, 1830. 19 maps

A Present from Peter Parley to All His Little Friends; 1830 [G, 1836; AAS; LOC; NYPL]

bib info for Philadelphia ed: Philadelphia: Thomas Holden, 1831. 168 pp. Copyright 27 Nov 1830 by SGG.

note: Another copy in my collection is copyrighted 1840 by R. W. Pomeroy; pagination and illustrations are the same as in the Philadelphia edition, though the page size is wider. bib info: Cooperstown: H. & E. Phinney, 1844.

In the book: explanations of 220 wood cuts, with subjects ranging from gods to insects, including portraits of different nationalities. With “The Story of Alice Green.”

A Dictionary of General Knowledge, by George Crabb; 1830 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1830. 368 pp.

Tales of Travels West of the Mississippi, by “Solomon Bell” [William J. Snelling]; 1830 [purchased copyright of and edited; LOC]

bib info: Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1830. 162 pp. Copyright 19 October 1830 by Samuel G. Goodrich

note: Part of a series titled “Tales of Travels”: “The design of this series is to supply to the children of the United States, as entertaining abstract of the most popular books of travels, which have lately appeared. …

“One volume will exhibit the Polar Regions, and detail the substance of the several narratives of Perry, Franklin, Lyon, &c. One will be given upon Mexico, and another upon South America. Three volumes will be given upon Africa, which will embrace the travels of Lyon, Lang, Densham, Clapperton, Caillie, Salt, Burchal, Thomason, and others.

“Four volumes will be given upon Europe, and three or four upon Asia. …

“When completed, the above series will contain travels in all parts of the world, and convey correct ideas ofthe inhabitants, the animals, and the geography of the various countries and nations on the globe.” [prospectus in Tales of Travels West of the Mississippi]

From Goodrich’s Recollections: “I once employed a young man to block out some little books to be published under the nominal authorship of Solomon Bell; these I remodeled, and one or two volumes were issued. Some over-astute critic announced them as veritable Peter Parleys, and they had a sudden sale. The young man who had assisted me, and who was under the most solemn obligations to keep the matter secret, thought he had an opportunity to make his fortune; so he publicly claimed the authorship, and accused me of duplicity! The result was, that the books fell dead from that hour; the series was stopped, and his unprinted manuscripts, for which I had paid him, became utterly worthless. A portion I burnt, and a portion still remain amidst the rubbish of other days.” [vol 2: 276]

A copy of the first edition was reproduced with Goodrich’s Tales of Peter Parley About America as part of Garland’s “Classics of Children’s Literature, 1621-1932”: New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1977. Travels is edited by James Silverman.

Tales of Peter Parley about Asia; 1830, rev 1836 [G; AAS; LOC; MNU; PHL]

bib info: Boston: Gray & Bowen and Carter & Hendee, 1830. Copyright 15 December 1830.
bib info of revised edition: Philadelphia: Desilver, Thomas, & Co., 1836. 144 pp.

The Story of La Peyrouse; 1831 [G, 1832; LOC] Also The Story of La Perouse, and an Account of the Voyages Made to Discover His Fate

bib info of 1835 ed: New York: J. P. Peaslee, 1835. On spine, “Parley’s Library”

note: As volume 4 of “Peter Parley’s Little Library”: Philadelphia: Henry F. Anners, 1841.

Pictorial Geography of the World; 1831, rev 1840 [G; LOC; AAS; MNU; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info for revised ed: Boston: Otis, Broaders & Co., 1840. New York: Tanner & Disturnell, 1840. 1008 pp.

note: From Goodrich’s Recollections: “The first edition of this work was published in 1831, but being found imperfect, was revised and remodeled at this date. In the original work I had the assistance of J. O. Sargent and S. P. Holbrook, Esqs., and Mr. S. Kettell: the new edition was mainly prepared by T. S. Bradford, Esq.” [vol 2: 538] A supplement was published in 1842.

Peter Parley’s Tales about the Islands in the Pacific Ocean; 1831 [G; LOC; AAS; MNU; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1831. 144 pp.

note: Appears in “The Quarterly List of New Publications,” The North American Review 32 (April 1831); p. 566.

Peter Parley’s Tales of the Sea; 1831 [G; LOC; AAS; PHL] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1831. 144 pp.

note: Appears in “The Quarterly List of New Publications,” The North American Review 32 (April 1831); p. 566.

Peter Parley’s Tales about the Sun, Moon, and Stars; 1831 [G, 1830; LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Gray & Brown and Carter & Hendee, 1831. 116 pp.

The Child’s Book of American Geography; 1831 [LOC; AAS; MNU; extract about the mastodon online] also The Child’s Own Book of American Geography; Abinoji Aki Tibajumouin; 1840 [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Waitt & Dow, 1831. 64 pp.

note: Rewritten in Ojibwa, & plates used, as Abinoji aki tibajumouin. N. p.: American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, 1840. 139 pp. [LOC; Boston Athenaeum]

quote: “This little book is believed to be essentially different, in several respects, from any one that has yet appeared. It is prepared for mere children, and is intended strictly as a First book of Geography. Among all those now in use, many of which are doubtless excellent, it is believed there are none, the style and arrangement of which, are well suited to beginners. The Author has attempted to furnish such a book as appears to be needed; one that may be used for initiation, and that may properly be put into the hands of the pupil before any other. When he has been through this, he will be prepared for some more extensive system of Geography. This book may also be used to advantage, as an Introduction to the “First Book of History.” It will be observed that the work contains only American Geography. It was thought that the Geography of our own Hemisphere, was not only the most important part of the study, but that it was the most convenient and proper, to be used for the purpose of introducing the pupil to a first acquaintance with the subject, generally. The greatest difficulty in teaching Geography, is at the beginning. The design of this book is, to remove this difficulty, and the study of our own Geography is used to secure this end. The pupil once introduced, will easily find books to aid his farther progress. If we might be permitted to name a work to follow this, we would recommend the ‘Malte Brun School Geography,’ as being arranged on a similar plan, and to which, we should regard the present volume a suitable introduction.” [2nd ed.; “Preface,” p. 5]

The First Book of History; 1831, rev 1839 [G; LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL; extract about the mastodon online] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Richardson, Lord & Holbrook, 1831. Cincinnati: C. D. Bradford & Co., 1831. New York: Collins & Hannay, 1831. 180 pp.
bib info for revised ed: Boston: Charles J. Hendee, and Jenks & Palmer, 1841. 259 pp.

A Natural History of the Globe, of Man, of Beasts, Birds, Fishes, Reptiles, Insects and Plants; 1831 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1831. 5 vol

The Polar Regions of the Western Continent Explored, by William J. Snelling; 1831 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: Boston: W. W. Reed, 1831. 501 pp. Copyright 14 January 1831 by Samuel G. Goodrich.

note: Goodrich’s copyright notice is on a slip pasted on the copyright page. In 1830 Goodrich hired Snelling to write books as “Solomon Bell” and included two pieces by Snelling in The Token, for 1831.

Tales of Travels in Central Africa; Including Denham and Clapperton’s Expedition, Park’s First and Second Journey, Tuckey’s Voyage Up the Congo, Bowditch’s Account of the Mission to Ashantee, Clapperton’s Second Expedition, and Caillie’s Travels to Timbuctoo, by “Solomon Bell” [William J. Snelling]; 1831 [purchased copyright of and edited; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1831. 158 pp. Copyright 21 January 1831 by Samuel G. Goodrich.

note: Advertised in Tales of Travels West of the Mississippi as to be published in December 1830.

Part of a series titled “Tales of Travels”: “The design of this series is to supply to the children of the United States, as entertaining abstract of the most popular books of travels, which have lately appeared. …

“One volume will exhibit the Polar Regions, and detail the substance of the several narratives of Perry, Franklin, Lyon, &c. One will be given upon Mexico, and another upon South America. Three volumes will be given upon Africa, which will embrace the travels of Lyon, Lang, Densham, Clapperton, Caillie, Salt, Burchal, Thomason, and others.

“Four volumes will be given upon Europe, and three or four upon Asia. …

“When completed, the above series will contain travels in all parts of the world, and convey correct ideas ofthe inhabitants, the animals, and the geography of the various countries and nations on the globe.” [prospectus in Tales of Travels West of the Mississippi]

From Goodrich’s Recollections: “I once employed a young man to block out some little books to be published under the nominal authorship of Solomon Bell; these I remodeled, and one or two volumes were issued. Some over-astute critic announced them as veritable Peter Parleys, and they had a sudden sale. The young man who had assisted me, and who was under the most solemn obligations to keep the matter secret, thought he had an opportunity to make his fortune; so he publicly claimed the authorship, and accused me of duplicity! The result was, that the books fell dead from that hour; the series was stopped, and his unprinted manuscripts, for which I had paid him, became utterly worthless. A portion I burnt, and a portion still remain amidst the rubbish of other days.” [vol 2: 276]

Tales of Travels in the North of Europe; Including Brooks’ Travels in Lapland, Conway’s Travels in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, and Granville’s Travels in Russia and Poland, by “Solomon Bell” [William J. Snelling]; 1831 [purchased copyright of and edited; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1831. Copyright 29 March 1831 by Samuel G. Goodrich. Philadelphia: Key & Mielke, 1831. 164 pp.

note: Part of a series titled “Tales of Travels”: “The design of this series is to supply to the children of the United States, as entertaining abstract of the most popular books of travels, which have lately appeared. …

“One volume will exhibit the Polar Regions, and detail the substance of the several narratives of Perry, Franklin, Lyon, &c. One will be given upon Mexico, and another upon South America. Three volumes will be given upon Africa, which will embrace the travels of Lyon, Lang, Densham, Clapperton, Caillie, Salt, Burchal, Thomason, and others.

“Four volumes will be given upon Europe, and three or four upon Asia. …

“When completed, the above series will contain travels in all parts of the world, and convey correct ideas ofthe inhabitants, the animals, and the geography of the various countries and nations on the globe.” [prospectus in Tales of Travels West of the Mississippi]

From Goodrich’s Recollections: “I once employed a young man to block out some little books to be published under the nominal authorship of Solomon Bell; these I remodeled, and one or two volumes were issued. Some over-astute critic announced them as veritable Peter Parleys, and they had a sudden sale. The young man who had assisted me, and who was under the most solemn obligations to keep the matter secret, thought he had an opportunity to make his fortune; so he publicly claimed the authorship, and accused me of duplicity! The result was, that the books fell dead from that hour; the series was stopped, and his unprinted manuscripts, for which I had paid him, became utterly worthless. A portion I burnt, and a portion still remain amidst the rubbish of other days.” [vol 2: 276]

The Holy Bible; 1831 [purchased copyright of, 1832; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1831. 2 vol

The Story of the American Revolution, by “Lambert Lilly” (Francis Lister Hawks); 1831 [purchased copyright of; LOC]

bib info: Philadelphia: Key & Meilke, 1831. 204 pp.

note: Not listed, but presumably part of a series: “The subjects proposed are the following:—the Early History of New England; the Early History of the Middle States; the Early History of the Southern States; the History of the Western States; the History of the West Indies; the History of Mexico; the Early History of South America; and the History of Discoveries in America. … The design of the author will be to embrace the entire history of the Western Continent in the series, and thus furnish a set of books, which may be put into the hands of youth, as works of amusement, but which will instruct them fully in the history of their own country, and in that also of other countries in the same hemisphere.” (History of the Western States, 1855 ed, p. 4) Apparently the titles were published about every two months.

The Key & Meilke edition asserts that “[t]hese works will be somewhat in the style of Peter Parley’s Tales, but for more advanced readers.”

Both the AAS and the LOC note that the Lambert pseudonym has been attributed to Goodrich; the idea is reinforced by the fact that not only did Goodrich own the copyright on several of “Lilly”’s works, but the portrait of “Lilly” on the title page of some of the works greatly resembles “Peter Parley.”

The History of New England, by “Lambert Lilly” (Francis Lister Hawks); 1831 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: Boston: William Hyde, 1831. 184 pp. Philadelphia: Key & Meilke, 1831. 184 pp.

note: Part of a series: “The subjects proposed are the following:—the Early History of New England; the Early History of the Middle States; the Early History of the Southern States; the History of the Western States; the History of the West Indies; the History of Mexico; the Early History of South America; and the History of Discoveries in America. … The design of the author will be to embrace the entire history of the Western Continent in the series, and thus furnish a set of books, which may be put into the hands of youth, as works of amusement, but which will instruct them fully in the history of their own country, and in that also of other countries in the same hemisphere.” (History of the Western States, 1855 ed, p. 4) Apparently the titles were published about every two months.

The Key & Meilke edition asserts that “[t]hese works will be somewhat in the style of Peter Parley’s Tales, but for more advanced readers.”

Both the AAS and the LOC note that the Lambert pseudonym has been attributed to Goodrich; the idea is reinforced by the fact that not only did Goodrich own the copyright on several of “Lilly”’s works, but the portrait of “Lilly” on the title page of some of the works greatly resembles “Peter Parley.”

Les Contes de Pierre Parley sur l’Amerique, translated by François-Marie-Joseph Surault; 1832 [French translation of Tales of Peter Parley About America; MNU; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Carter and Hendee, 1832. 144 pp. “The Tales of Peter Parley about America. Rendered into familiar French, for the use of young persons who are studying that language.”

note: Intended to help young learners of French: “Peter Parley’s Tales about America having been extensively used by pupils learning the French language, to translate into that language, it has been suggested that a translation of the work into familiar French might be useful to beginners. Most children, having read it in English, will readily make out the meaning in its new guise, and thus rapidly and pleasantly acquire some knowledge of the language. At the request of the author, M. Surault, who is too favorably known to the public, to stand in need of our commendation, has made a translation, which is here given to the public, and which, it is hoped, may prove useful to the friends of Peter Parley.” [“Advertisement.”]

Parley’s classic greeting—“Here I am! My name is Peter Parley!”—becomes “Me voici! J’ai l’honneur de m’appeler Pierre Parley.” The paragraphs are numbered as in the second edition of Tales.

Most of the illustrations from the second edition of Tales appear in this French edition; the iconic illustration of Parley, however, was reworked and re-engraved.

The Early History of the Southern States, by “Lambert Lilly” (Francis Lister Hawks); 1832 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: Philadelphia: Key, Mielke & Biddle, 1832. 192 pp.

note: Part of a series: “The subjects proposed are the following:—the Early History of New England; the Early History of the Middle States; the Early History of the Southern States; the History of the Western States; the History of the West Indies; the History of Mexico; the Early History of South America; and the History of Discoveries in America. … The design of the author will be to embrace the entire history of the Western Continent in the series, and thus furnish a set of books, which may be put into the hands of youth, as works of amusement, but which will instruct them fully in the history of their own country, and in that also of other countries in the same hemisphere.” (History of the Western States, 1855 ed, p. 4) Apparently the titles were published about every two months.

The Key & Meilke edition asserts that “[t]hese works will be somewhat in the style of Peter Parley’s Tales, but for more advanced readers.”

Both the AAS and the LOC note that the Lambert pseudonym has been attributed to Goodrich; the idea is reinforced by the fact that not only did Goodrich own the copyright on several of “Lilly”’s works, but the portrait of “Lilly” on the title page of some of the works greatly resembles “Peter Parley.”

Peter Parley’s Method of Telling About the History of the World to Children; 1832 [G, 1831; LOC; AAS] [reviewed]

bib info: Hartford: F. J. Huntington, 1832. 144 pp.

note: “This little book is intended as a companion to Peter Parley’s method of teaching Geography to Children. It may serve to communicate the first ideas of history, and may awaken the curiosity of the pupil so that he may enter upon some larger work with interest, and study it with success.” [“Preface,” p. v] Method of Telling About Geography was published in 1829.

The Second Book of History; 1832 [G; LOC; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Baltimore: Joseph Jewett, 1832.

note: Goodrich lists this as one of two works which were “compiled under my direction, and were then remodeled by me, but were not published, nor were they intended to appear, as by Peter Parley; they have, however, passed under that name for several years.” [Recollections vol 2: 541]

Peter Parley’s Tales about the State and City of New York; 1832 [G; LOC; AAS; MNU; NYPL; extract about the mastodon online]

bib info: New York: Pendleton & Hill, 1832. 160 pp.

note: Chapters 1-6 were published as a chapbook: Peter Parley’s Visit to the City of New-York. New York: Mahlon Day & Co., 1841-1844? 31 pp. The chapbook was reprinted in 1987 in a limited edition by the South Street Seaport Museum. Mahlon Day published a number of would-be Parleys in 1836.

Peter Parley’s Tales about South America; 1832 [LOC; AAS]

bib info: Baltimore: J. Jewett, 1832. 172 pp.

The Captive of Nootka; or, The Adventures of John R. Jewett; 1832 [G; LOC; PHL; NYPL; AAS, 1835] Also, The Story of John R. Jewett, the Captive of Nootka Sound

bib info for 1835 ed.: New York: Peaslee, 1835. 259 pp. Part of “Parley’s Library”

note: As volume 2 of “Peter Parley’s Little Library”: Philadelphia: Henry F. Anners, 1841. 289 pp. The LOC notes that this work is a “free adaptation” in third person of Jewett’s Narrative of the Adventures and Sufferings of John R. Jewett, Only Survivor of the Crew of the Ship Boston.

The NUC lists a later publisher for the Little Library volume: Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1867. 259 pp.

A Book of Quadrupeds; 1832 [LOC; PHL]

bib info: New York; P. Hill, 1832. 324 pp.

A Book of Ornithology; 1832 [purchased copyright of; LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: William Hyde & Co., 1832. 322 pp.

Peter Parley’s Tales about Ancient and Modern Greece; 1832 [G; LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: New York: Collins & Hannay, 1832. Boston: Richardson, Lord & Holbrook, 1832. 202 pp.

A Book of Mythology, for Youth; 1832 [LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Richardson, Lord & Holbrook, 1832. 121 pp.

Lempriere’s Classical Dictionary, for Schools and Academies; 1832 [purchased copyright of & may have edited]

bib info: New York: Pendelton & Hill, 1832.

note: “The original work is full of indelicate passages, which necessarily exclude it from the multitude of schools for young persons …. In the present edition, all such passages are excluded, and nothing is introduced which may render it improper for youth of either sex.”

A Dictionary of Biography, by Richard Alfred Davenport; 1832 [purchased copyright of; LOC; NYPL; AAS] Also Popular Biography [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1832.

bib info for 1836 ed: Exeter, New Haven: J. & B. Williams, 1836. 527 pp. Leavitt & Allen republished this work around 1855: New York: Leavitt & Allen, n. d. 526 pp.

note: Rewritten from a British work published in 1831. On the spine of the AAS copy (1836): “Biography of Eminent Men.” (A work with this title was published by Nafis & Cornish in 1840.)

Peter Parley’s Book of Curiosities, Natural and Artificial; 1832 [LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Richardson, Lord & Holbrook, & Waitt & Dow, 1832. New York: J. P. Callender, 1832. 224 pp.

A New Universal Gazetteer, by R. Bookes; 1832 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: New York: W. W. Reed & Co., 1832.

A New Universal Pocket Gazetteer; 1832 [LOC; MNU; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Carter, Hendee & Co., 1832. 297 pp.

Bible Illustrations, by B. H. Draper; 1832 [purchased copyright of; AAS; LOC]

bib info: Philadelphia: French & Perkins, 1832. Baltimore: P. N. Wood, 1832. Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1832. 215 pp.

note: The LOC notes that both the Boston edition & another Philadelphia edition states that the book was copyrighted by Goodrich.

Peter Parley’s Tales about Ancient Rome; 1832 [G; LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Carter, Hendee, & Co., 1832. 208 pp. Copyright 1833 by S. G. Goodrich.

note: From the preface: “A short time since, the author prepared a little work on Ancient Greece, which is now before the public. As the preface to that work would not be inappropriate to this, the author inserts it as explanatory of his views in the compilation of the following pages. The following pages are not intended for mere children, or grave scholars. The first would not comprehend them, and the last would bestow upon them only a sneer. I have imagined myself surrounded by an audience of boys and girls about ten or twelve years of age, and to these, or such as these, I address my story. … I speak not as a scholar, in these pages, but as a plain man, addressing those who are yet ignorant of the subject …. It is perhaps proper to say that a part of this volume has been written by a friend, in the absence of the author, on account of ill health.” [pp. iii-iv]

A System of Universal Geography, Popular and Scientific; 1832 [purchased copyright of; AAS] [reviewed]

bib info: Baltimore: W. & J. Neal, 1832. New York: Collins & Hannay, 1832. Boston: Carter, Hendee & Co., 1832. 920 pp.

note: The August 1831 issue of New England Magazine describes this book as being “in press.” [p. 184]

from the preface: “When the Author of this work announced the intention of preparing a system of Universal Geography for publication, he had nothing more in view than a compilation from Malte Brun and Bell. But, after bestowing more consideration upon the subject, and when the task was already begun, it appeared that a volume not only differing in style and arrangement, but consisting, to a great extent, of new materials, would be better suited to the public wants. The first plan was therefore abandoned, and an original work was undertaken. … A large space has been devoted to the United States for several considerations. The geography of our country has been overlooked by European writers, and we have ourselves neglected it. On this account, the Author was particularly anxious to furnish a more ample view of the country, than its mere relative population or extent might entitle it to. He has described the character, manners and customs of the people with freedom, but, he hopes, with impartiality. If the sketches he has drawn differ materially from those exhibited by most English travellers, it is believed that the distinction will be only that which must always exist between a faithful portrait and a gross caricature. The Author has ventured to give a more extensive view of the remarkable animals in different parts of the world, than has been customary. He has been induced to do this, partly from the opportunity thus afforded for enlivening the pages of the work by interesting details, and partly from a belief that, as a mere geographical topic, they claim more attention than has been bestowed upon them. No perfect idea of a landscape ever can be formed, without imagining the birds that are accustomed to hover in the air, or the quadrupeds that may be seen ranging the fields. … ”

Peter Parley’s Tales about Great Britain; 1832 [G, 1834; LOC]

bib info: Baltimore: J. Jewett, 1832. 160 pp.

The Life of Benjamin Franklin; 1832 [purchased copyright of]

bib info: Philadelphia: Desilver, Thomas, & Co., 1832. New York: Collins & Hannay, 1832. 180 pp.

note: Appears on Goodrich’s list of spurious Parleys published by Americans. On the spine: Parley’s Franklin.

The Life of Christopher Columbus; 1832 [copyrighted]

bib info: New York: Collins & Hannay, 1832. 187 pp.

note: Appears on Goodrich’s list of spurious Parleys published by Americans. On the spine: Parley’s Columbus.

Parley’s Magazine; 1833-1842 [edited, 1833]

note: This magazine was reprinted several times; a reprint was microfilmed and subsequently digitized as part of the American Periodical Series. The tangled history of reprints includes use of the articles to create two other periodicals: Youth’s Galaxy (1853) was published by Edward H. Fletcher, New York City, and lasted one year; Fletcher also was responsible for the “Republication of Parley’s Magazine, with original material” which appeared in 1857.

Researchers should note that the microfilmed reprint was edited, with articles replaced and at least one illustration altered.

Goodrich states that the magazine was “begun” in 1832: “This work was planned and established by me; but after about a year I was obliged to relinquish it, from ill health and an affection of my eyes. It was conducted, without any interest or participation on my part, for about twelve years when it ceased.” [Recollections vol 2: 543]

His version was disputed by the magazine’s owners in December 1841, when they announced in the December issue that “The publication of Parley’s Magazine was commenced by Lilly, Wait & Co. of Boston, in 1833. Mr. [Samuel] Colman, the active agent and proprietor of the work, obtained permission of “Peter Parley” … to use his title to this magazine, who was to be renumerated accordingly. The three or four first numbers, we believe, were supervised by this old gentleman, but it was in the charge of a sub-editor the remainder of the year.” [in Dorothy B. Dechert. “The Merry Family: A Study of Merry’s Museum, 1841-1872, and of the Various Periodicals that Merged with It.” Master’s thesis. Columbia University, 1942. p. 146]

Goodrich replied tartly on the covers of Merry’s Museum in 1842: “The aforesaid Magazine was wholly my own device; I planned it, commenced it, even before any publisher was obtained—and, for a time, had the responsible and authoritative charge of the editorial department.” (inside front cover; cover page 2, Feb 1842) His point was offered to a wider public through an advertisement in Brother Jonathan in 1842.

The Missionary Gazetteer, by B. B. Edwards; 1833 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: Boston: William Hyde & Co., 1833. 431 pp.

note: From “Advertisement to the American Edition”: “This Gazetteer has been prepared upon the basis of a volume published in London, in 1828, by Mr. Charles Williams.” [p. ix] With illustrations.

Lives of the Presidents of the United States, by Robert W. Lincoln; 1833 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: New York: for William W. Reed, 1833. bib info for 1838 ed: New York: H. Wright & Co., 1838. 522 pp. bib info for 1839 ed: Brattleboro, Vermont: Brattleboro Typographic Co., 1839. 522 pp.

note: Goodrich apparently sold the copyright in 1834, but he and the book became the center of controversy during the presidential campaign in 1840, with supporters of Martin Van Buren claiming that the book included false information about their preferred candidate. Goodrich’s assertion that at the time he owned the copyright the book did not include Van Buren were sneered at, given that Goodrich spent part of 1840 campaigning for William Henry Harrison. The 1833 edition does include presidents only through Andrew Jackson. The 1838 edition includes Van Buren.

In the book, 1838 edition: Includes lives and portraits of presidents through Martin Van Buren (pp. 1-346); lives of the signers of the Declaration of Independence (pp. 347-418); “early history of America” (pp. 419-472); “French Wars” (pp. 473-488); “Anecdotes of the Revolution (pp. 489-496); “General View of the United States” with charts of the free and slave populations in the censuses of 1790-1830 (pp. 497-512); “Population of the United States” (pp. 513-519); “Chronological List of the Officers of the United States” (pp. 520-522); and list of the dates in which states were admitted to the Union, through Michigan [p. 522]

The History of the Middle States, by “Lambert Lilly” (Francis Lister Hawks); 1833 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Allen & Ticknor, 1833. 156 pp.

note: Part of a series: “The subjects proposed are the following:—the Early History of New England; the Early History of the Middle States; the Early History of the Southern States; the History of the Western States; the History of the West Indies; the History of Mexico; the Early History of South America; and the History of Discoveries in America. … The design of the author will be to embrace the entire history of the Western Continent in the series, and thus furnish a set of books, which may be put into the hands of youth, as works of amusement, but which will instruct them fully in the history of their own country, and in that also of other countries in the same hemisphere.” (History of the Western States, 1855 ed, p. 4) Apparently the titles were published about every two months.

The Key & Meilke edition asserts that “[t]hese works will be somewhat in the style of Peter Parley’s Tales, but for more advanced readers.”

Both the AAS and the LOC note that the Lambert pseudonym has been attributed to Goodrich; the idea is reinforced by the fact that not only did Goodrich own the copyright on several of “Lilly”’s works, but the portrait of “Lilly” on the title page of some of the works greatly resembles “Peter Parley.”

The History of the Western States, by “Lambert Lilly” (Francis Lister Hawks); 1833 [purchased copyright of; LOC]

bib info for 1835 ed: Boston: W. D. Ticknor, 1835. 156 pp. Ticknor & Fields also published an edition in 1855.

note: Part of a series: “The subjects proposed are the following:—the Early History of New England; the Early History of the Middle States; the Early History of the Southern States; the History of the Western States; the History of the West Indies; the History of Mexico; the Early History of South America; and the History of Discoveries in America. … The design of the author will be to embrace the entire history of the Western Continent in the series, and thus furnish a set of books, which may be put into the hands of youth, as works of amusement, but which will instruct them fully in the history of their own country, and in that also of other countries in the same hemisphere.” (History of the Western States, 1855 ed, p. 4) Apparently the titles were published about every two months.

The Key & Meilke edition asserts that “[t]hese works will be somewhat in the style of Peter Parley’s Tales, but for more advanced readers.”

Both the AAS and the LOC note that the Lambert pseudonym has been attributed to Goodrich; the idea is reinforced by the fact that not only did Goodrich own the copyright on several of “Lilly”’s works, but the portrait of “Lilly” on the title page of some of the works greatly resembles “Peter Parley.”

Peter Parley’s Book of Poetry for Children; 1833 [LOC; AAS] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Lilly, Wait, & Co., 1834. 160 pp.

Peter Parley’s Method of Teaching Arithmetic to Children; 1833 [G; LOC; AAS] Also Peter Parley’s Arithmetic [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Carter & Hendee, 1833. 144 pp.

chapbooks, 1833 [reprinted in Parley’s Short Stories for Long Nights]
Peter Parley’s Story of the Umbrella and the Tiger; 1833 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: Allen & Ticknor, 1833. 16 pp. Reprinted in Parley’s Short Stories for Long Nights.


Peter Parley’s Story of the Little Gardener; 1833 [LOC; online]

bib info: Boston: Allen & Ticknor, 1833. 16 pp. Reprinted in Parley’s Short Stories for Long Nights.


Peter Parley’s Story of the Two Friends; or, Harry and His Dog; 1833 [LOC]

note: The LOC lists this as a later title for Peter Parley’s Story of the Faithful Dog, published in 1829. Reprinted in Parley’s Short Stories for Long Nights.


Peter Parley’s Story of Robert Seaboy, the Bird Robber; 1833 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: Allen & Ticknor, 1833. 16 pp. Reprinted in Parley’s Short Stories for Long Nights.


Peter Parley’s Story of Alice Gray; or, The Little Dreamer; 1833 [LOC; AAS] LOC copy as Peter Parley’s Story of Alice Gray; or, The Young Dreamer

bib info: Boston: Allen & Ticknor, 1833. 16 pp. Reprinted in Parley’s Short Stories for Long Nights.


Peter Parley’s Story of the Little Wanderers; 1833 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: Allen & Ticknor, 1833. 16 pp. Reprinted in Parley’s Short Stories for Long Nights.


Peter Parley’s Story of the Freshet; or, The Morning Walk; 1833 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: Allen & Ticknor, 1833. 16 pp. Reprinted in Parley’s Short Stories for Long Nights.


Peter Parley’s Story of the Orphans; 1833 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: Allen & Ticknor, 1833. 16 pp. Reprinted in Parley’s Short Stories for Long Nights.

Parley’s Short Stories for Long Nights; 1834 [G; LOC; AAS; online]

bib info: Boston: n. p., 1834.

In the book: “Story of the Little Gardener”; “Story of the Freshet”; “Story of the Two Friends”; “Story of Robert Seaboy”; “Story of the Orphans”; “Story of the Little Wanderers”; “Story of Alice Gray”; “Story of the Umbrella and the Tiger”

Peter Parley’s Book of Bible Stories; 1834 [edited; G, 1833; LOC; AAS; MNU] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Lilly, Waitt, & Co., 1834. 256 pp. Also copyrighted 1835 by Samuel Colman: Boston: Samuel Colman, 1835.

note: “This work consists, for the most part, of two little books which have recently made their appearance in England. The first of these is entitled ‘Bible Letters, &c. by Lucy Barton;’ the other, ‘Gospel Stories; an attempt to render the chief events of the life of our Savior intelligible and profitable to young children.’

“In preparing the volume for the American reader, I have taken the liberty to omit some passages in the works above mentioned, which seem not happily adapted to youth. The phraseology has been altered in many cases, and some additions have been made. …

“ … It is impossible to resist the inference that some selection or compilation [from the bible], suited to the state of childish intellect and knowledge, is a necessary book ….

“In attempting to supply a work of the kind I have mentioned, I have chosen those before spoken of as the basis of the volume, rather than write an original work, for this reason: they are embued with an earnest spirit of piety, which evidently flows from the most fervent feeling, and which I believe to be more happily expressed than any thing I could write.”

“Peter Parley’s Little Library”; 1834 [edited & copyrighted several volumes] [Eight volumes originally by various authors]

note: Several volumes described at the AAS were published in 1834 by Carter, Hendee & Co.

In 1841, published by Henry F. Anners, Philadelphia: “This series of entertaining and useful Books is designed for Children. They will be elegantly printed, and handsomely illustrated by Engravings. They will consist either of Biographical Tales and Adventures, of an authentic character, or lively and amusing descriptions and illustrations of the Arts of Life. They will be by different writers, but the selection of the works and the general superintendence of their publication, will be committed to the Author of Peter Parley’s Tales. … These works are prepared with the view of rendering them attractive to children, and amusing to all classes of youthful readers; at the same time they are calculated to impart knowledge of a useful kind.” (advertisement in The Ship)

Titles include The Adventures of Capt. James Riley, in Africa (1834; volume 1 of the Little Library); The Story of John R. Jewett, the Captive of Nootka Sound (1832; volume 2 of the Little Library); The Ship (1834; volume 3 of the Little Library); The Story of La Peyrouse (1831; volume 4 of the Little Library); The Farm (1834; volume 5 of the Little Library); Story of Alexander Selkirk (1834; volume 6 of the Little Library); The Mine (1834; volume 7 of the Little Library); The Garden (1834; volume 8 of the Little Library).

The NUC lists a later publisher for some volumes of the Little Library: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: J. B. Lippincott, 1867.

Goodrich held the copyright of most of these titles; however, The Ship and The Mine are copyrighted by J. P. Peaslee. While most of these works appear in the list Goodrich compiled of his own works, The Garden—though he at one time held the copyright—appears on the list he compiled of works not by him. Anners published a number of works by Goodrich in 1841.

Story of Captain Riley and His Adventures in Africa; 1834 [G, 1832; LOC; AAS, 1854] Also The Adventures of Capt. James Riley, in Africa

bib info: Boston: Carter, Hendee & Co., 1834. 240 pp. Part of “Peter Parley’s Little Library” in 1841.

The Ship, by Isaac Taylor; 1834 [edited & copyrighted; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Carter, Hendee & Co., 1834. 224 pp. Volume 3 of “Peter Parley’s Little Library

bib info in 1841: Philadelphia: Henry F. Anners, 1841. 224 pp.

note: “Adapted to the reading of American Youth.” Copyright 1834 by J. P. Peaslee.

The Farm, by Jeffreys Taylor; 1834 [copyrighted; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Carter, Hendee & Co., 1834. 204 pp. Volume 5 of “Peter Parley’s Little Library

The Story of Alexander Selkirk; 1834 [G, 1833; LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: New York: J. P. Peaslee, 1835. 200 pp.

note: Published in 1841 as vol 6 of “Peter Parley’s Little Library”: Philadelphia: H. F. Anners, 1841. 200 pp. That volume lists the date of Goodrich’s copyright as 1834. (See entry in 1841)

The NUC lists a later publisher for the Little Library volume: Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1867. 200 pp.

The Mine; or, Sketches of the Mines of Different Countries, the Modes of Working Them, and Their Various Productions, by Isaac Taylor; 1834 [edited & copyrighted; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Carter, Hendee & Co., 1834. Volume 7 of Peter Parley’s Little Library.” New York: J. P. Peaslee, 1835. 273 pp., with 6-page index.

note: Rewritten from The Mine (London, England: John Harris, 1829. 215 pp.); A Nutshell of Knowlege: The Mine, 2nd edition (London, England: John Harris, 1830. 215 pp.). Copyright 1834 by J. P. Peaslee. On the spine: “Parley’s Library” In 1841, part of “Peter Parley’s Little Library.” Given the subtitle, is perhaps “The Mines of Different Countries,” which Goodrich included on his list of spurious works.

From the introduction: “The following work, it seems fair to apprise our readers, was originally prepared in England, and was designed for the children of that country. But, with some alterations, which I shall make, it will be found equally adapted to children, in the United States, and to them, in this new dress, it is dedicated. … To heighten the interest of the work, I shall add a chapter about the mines which are found in various parts of the United States.” [pp. 5-6]

[Earlier published, apparently without any changes and with the original plates, as A Nutshell of Knowledge: The Mine. New York: W. B. Gilley, 1829. 215 pp., including 7-page index. This title appears to be the only work published as A Nutshell of Knowledge in England or the U.S.]

The Garden; 1834 [copyrighted; LOC]

bib info: Boston: Carter, Hendee, & Co., 1834. 208 pp. Volume 8 of “Peter Parley’s Little Library

bib info for 1841 ed: Philadelphia: Henry F. Anners, 1841.

note: On Goodrich’s list of spurious works in his Recollections.

Parley’s Spelling-Book; 1834 [G; LOC; NYPL]

bib info: Philadelphia: H. F. Anners, 1834. New Orleans: Norman Steel & Co., 1834. Mobile, Alabama: J. M. Sumwalt & Co., 1834. 168 pp. The LOC also has an edition published in 1835 by T. T. Ash: Philadelphia: T. T. Ash, 1835.

note: “[P]artly copied from a recent English publication”. (“Prefatory Notice”) The English publication may be Elements of Spelling and Reading; or, A First Book for Children Under Six Years of Age, by Ingram Cobbin (London, England: F. Westley & A. H. Davis, 1833; 72 pp.); in 1834, Goodrich adapted Cobbin’s Moral Fables as Peter Parley’s Book of Fables. Listed in an advertisement of books published in 1841 by Henry F. Anners, Philadelphia. (advertisement in The Ship)

The Third Book of History; 1834 [G; LOC; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Carter, Hendee & Co., 1834. 180 pp.

note: Goodrich lists this as one of two works which were “compiled under my direction, and were then remodeled by me, but were not published, nor were they intended to appear, as by Peter Parley; they have, however, passed under that name for several years.” [Recollections vol 2: 541]

Parley’s Dictionaries; 1834 [G]

note: Goodrich lists four dictionaries which remain unlocated. These dictionaries appear to have been published later as Parley’s Illustrations.

Parley’s Dictionary of History, 1834

note: Perhaps Peter Parley’s Illustrations of History and Geography, published in 1840.


Parley’s Dictionary of Commerce; 1834

note: Probably Peter Parley’s Illustrations of Commerce, copyrighted in 1840.


Parley’s Dictionary of Botany; 1834

note: Probably Peter Parley’s Illustrations of the Vegetable Kingdom, published in 1840.


Parley’s Dictionary of Bible Geography; 1834

note: Probably Peter Parley’s Bible Gazetteer, published in 1836.

Child’s Own Book of GeographyWestern Hemisphere; … Eastern Hemisphere; 1834 [G]

note: Possibly The Child’s Book of American Geography.

The Every Day Book for Youth; 1834 [G; NYPL; LOC] also as A Gift for My Young Friends; Peter Parley’s Every Day Book? [noticed]

bib info: Boston: Carter, Hendee & Co., 1834. Philadelphia: T. T. Ash, 1834. 415 pp.

note: Perhaps listed in an advertisement as Peter Parley’s Every Day Book, published in 1841 by Henry F. Anners, Philadelphia. (advertisement in The Ship) Pages 15-260 were reprinted by Leavitt & Allen as A Gift for My Young Friends—on the cover, Peter Parley’s Gift; in the process, the poem which ends the reprint was cut short. bib info: New York: Leavitt & Allen, n. d.

Peter Parley’s Book of Fables; 1834 [LOC, 1836; AAS]

bib info: Hartford: Roderick White, 1834. 128 pp.

note: From the preface: “This little book is chiefly compiled from a collection of Fables, by Ingram Cobbin, recently published in London. That work was expressly written for youth, and seemed, on the whole, happily adapted to the inculcation of religion and morality. In an attempt to render this work still more suitable to the purposes of moral culture, I have rejected such stories as might seem of questionable utility, and remodeled those that are retained. I hope I may have so far succeeded in my desire to benefit and please my youthful readers, as to have prepared a book of Fables that may, in amusing the fancy, carry home to the heart many lasting lessons of virtue.” Cobbin’s work is Moral Fables (London, England: Frederick Westley & A. H. Davies, 1832. 167 pp.).

The title appears in a list of works published in 1841 by Henry F. Anners. The first 32 pages of another 1841 edition of this book were nicely reproduced around 1986 by the American Girl Corporation as an accessory for “Kirsten,” a doll in the “American Girls Collection” who was based on a character from 1854.

Parley’s Picture Book; copyright 1834, rev 1843 [G; LOC, 1839; AAS, 1839; NYPL, 1839]

bib info: Philadelphia: Thomas T. Ash, 1835. 125 pp. For 1839 ed: New York: Samuel Colman, 1839. 168 pp.
bib info for revised ed: New York: William Robinson, 1843. 168 pp.

note: While the book was copyrighted in 1834, various copies list 1839 on the cover. Stories from this book were reprinted in Robert Merry’s Museum in 1842, on “A Page for Little Readers”: “One of my young black-eyed friends, who has just learned to read, has asked me to give some simple stories, in the fashion of Peter Parley. I have promised to comply with this, and therefore give two pieces from “Parley’s Picture Book,” a little volume full of pictures and stories, which may be found in the bookstores.” (June 1842: 187) Listed in an advertisement of books published by Henry F. Anners in 1841 (advertisement in The Ship)

The Parent’s Present; copyright 1834 [edited; LOC]

bib info: Boston: Light & Horton, 1835.

note: “ADVERTISEMENT: This little work consists of copious selections from the Father’s Present, published in Dublin in 1833, with the addition of pieces extracted from various authors, chiefly American.” [p. 4] (That book appears to be A Father’s Present to His Son. Dublin: W. F. Wakeman, 1833. 2l67 pp.) Described as “edited by the author of Peter Parley’s Tales” in an advertisement in the 1841 edition of Captive of Nootka (Philadelphia: Henry F. Anners).

The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe; 1835 [edited; AAS]

bib info: New York: C. Wells, 1836. 335 pp. Copyright 1835 by Goodrich.

note: “In this edition of Robinson Crusoe, it is designed to present the complete story, as originally published by Defo, freed from the exceptional passages which that contains.

“Sir Walter Scott has remarked that this work has given more pleasure than any other in our language. It is perhaps more universally read than any other. It is desirable, therefore, that it should be purified from every thought and expression which might sully the mind or manners of youth. The work is full of moral truth and lessons of virtue; and it is hoped that in its present shape it may be useful and acceptable to young readers.” [Advertisement]

Peter Parley’s Primer; 1835 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: Philadelphia: T. T. Ash., 1835. 96 pp.

note: A 32-page chapbook with this title also was published: Philadelphia: Henry F. Anners, 1835. It reprints the first 32 pages of Ash, with different type on several pages.

The Benefits of Industry; 1835 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: W. D. Ticknor, 1835. 28 pp.

note: “An address delivered before the inhabitants of Jamaica Plain, July 4, 1835.”

Parley’s Almanac for 1836; 1835 [LOC; AAS; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Samuel Colman, 1835.

Parley’s Almanac for 1837; 1836 [LOC; AAS; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: New York: Freeman Hunt & Co., 1836. Boston: Otis, Broaders & Co., 1836. 80 pp.

The Outcast, and Other Poems; 1836 [G, 1841; LOC; AAS; MNU; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Russell, Shattuck & Williams, 1836. 200 pp.

Peter Parley’s Bible Dictionary; 1836 [G, 1834; LOC; AAS]

bib info: New York: Freeman Hunt & Co., 1836. Boston: Otis, Broaders & Co., 1836. Philadelphia: A. Tower, 1836. 208 pp. With occasional small illustrations. Copyright 1836 by Goodrich. On half-title page: Parley’s Cyclopedia.

about the book: “In another volume of this series, entitled a Bible Gazetteer, I have given you an account of the places mentioned in the Old and New Testament. In this book, I propose to tell you about Persons and Things mentioned in the Bible. These are so numerous that I can say but little of each, but I hope it may be enough to enable you, while perusing that holy book, the better to understand many of its passages.” [from the Introduction]

Peter Parley’s Dictionary of the Animal Kingdom; 1836 [LOC; AAS; also as Peter Parley’s Illustrations of the Animal Kingdom] [reviewed]

bib info: New York: Freeman Hunt & Co., 1836. Philadelphia: A. Towar, 1836. 199 pp. Copyright 1836 by Goodrich

about the book: The “Editor’s Note to the Reader” (signed “P. Parley”):

“This series of little volumes is designed to be a general Answerer of all sorts of questions, whether they come from old or young. It is intended as a kind of patient friend, who will sit in the corner, lounge upon the table, or doze on the shelf, till called for; and while it will never obtrude upon any body’s notice, it will, on the other hand, never refuse to tell what it knows, when applied to. Although it is to be called by the sounding title of Cyclopedia, it will be a plain spoken book, that knows a little about almost everything, and has a plain way of telling it.

“For my part, I like inquisitive people; and even the endless whys and wherefores of children never [p. viii] tire me. But this book will be mor patient still; and as I shall have the aid of several knowing people in its preparation, it will probably tell about many things beyond the scholarship of Peter Parley. I hope and trust it will not only be a convenient work for occasional reference, but that it may prove a pleasant reading book for leisure hours and long winter nights; a sort of home-book or house-library, that will be a safe friend for the children, and perhaps an occasional counsellor of the parents. It may not, perhaps, aspire to the ambition of teaching the Schoolmaster, but if he will admit it into his school, it may answer some of the thousand and one questions that are put to him. At al events, I trust it will serve to render some matters, hitherto wrapped up in “learned mystery,” accessible to simple minds, and place the pleasure they can impart within the reach of many to whom they have been as a sealed book.”

Also published with Peter Parley’s Dictionary of Astronomy as volume 1 of Parley’s Family and School Library: Philadelphia: Alexander Towar, 1836. New York: Freeman Hunt & Co., 1836. 199 pp. “Parley’s Family and School Library” on the spine
As Illustrations, published with Peter Parley’s Illustrations of Astronomy as volume 1 of Parley’s Family and School Library: Boston: B. B. Mussey, 1840. 199 pp. “Parley’s Family and School Library” on the spine

Peter Parley’s Dictionary of Astronomy; 1836 [G, 1834; LOC; AAS; also as Peter Parley’s Illustrations of Astronomy]

bib info: New York: Freeman Hunt & Co., 1836. 160 pp.

note: Also published with Peter Parley’s Dictionary of the Animal Kingdom as volume 1 of Parley’s Family and School Library: Philadelphia: Alexander Towar, 1836. New York: Freeman Hunt & Co., 1836. 160 pp.
As Illustrations, published with Peter Parley’s Illustrations of the Animal Kingdom as volume 1 of Parley’s Family and School Library: Boston: B. B. Mussey, 1840. 160 pp.

Parley’s Little Reader; copyright 1836 [purchased copyright of]

bib info: Philadelphia: R. W. Pomeroy, 1837.

Peter Parley’s Book of Anecdotes; 1836 [G; LOC; PHL]

bib info: Boston: Russell, Shattuck & Co., 1836.

Peter Parley’s Bible Gazetteer; 1836 [LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL; also as Parley’s Bible Cyclopedia; Peter Parley’s Method of Telling About the Geography of the Bible] [reviewed]

bib info as Parley’s Cyclopedia: New York: Freeman Hunt & Co., 1836. Philadelphia: A. Towar, 1836. Baltimore: W. S. Horton, 1836. Washington, DC: Kennedy & Elliott, 1836. Hartford: Burgess & Co., 1836. 192 pp. With two maps and several full-page illustrations. Bound with Peter Parley’s Bible Dictionary. On half-title page: Parley’s Cyclopedia. On spine: Parley’s Bible Cyclopedia.
bib info as Peter Parley’s Method of Telling About the Geography of the Bible: Boston: American Stationers’ Company, 1837. 143 pp.

about the book: “The object of this volume is to give an account of the places mentioned in the Bible: to describe them as they were in Scripture times, and as they now exist. It is particularly designed for the use of young readers of the Old and New Testament, and whenever they meet with the name of a place in the sacred volume, they should read the account of it in this little book.” [from the Introduction]

Jack Lawrence; or, The Adventures of a Cabin Boy, Founded on Facts: and designed as a companion for Jack Halyard; 1836 [purchased copyright of; LOC]

bib info: Philadelphia: R. P. Desilver, 1836. 144 pp.

note: “By the author of ‘The Wyoming Chief,’ ‘Harriet Canfield,’ ‘Rose Bud,’ &c.” The LOC lists the author as William S. Cardell.

Parley’s Cyclopedia; 1836 [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Otis, Broaders & Co., 1836.

The Wonders of the Heavens, by Duncan Bradford; 1837 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: Boston: American Stationers’ Co., 1837. 371 pp.

Peter Parley’s Universal History on the Basis of Geography; 1837 [G; LOC; PHL; NYPL; AAS]

bib info: Boston: American Stationers’ Co., 1837. 2 vol.

note: Prepared by Nathaniel Hawthorne and his sister, and probably revised by Goodrich.

Rewritten in Muskogee and printed in the Cherokee Messenger; see 1 August 1844, p. 10; 1 January 1845, pp. 57-63; 1 April 1845, pp. 70-77; 1 December 1845, pp. 139-141; 1 February 1846, pp. 156-160; 1 May 1846, pp. 190-192.

Peter Parley’s Book of the United States; 1837 [G, 1833; LOC, 1837; AAS, rev 1841] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Charles J. Hendee, 1837. 208 pp.
bib info for revised ed: Boston: Charles J. Hendee, and Jenks & Palmer., 1841.

Peter Parley’s Common School History; 1837, rev 1859 [G, 1837; LOC; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: American Stationers’ Co., 1838. 407 pp.

note: An abridgment of Peter Parley’s Universal History on the Basis of Geography. The book was reviewed in the Salem Gazette in November 1837.

Man the Subject of Education; 1838 [LOC]

bib info: The Lectures Delivered Before the American Institute of Instruction, at Lowell, (Mass.) August, 1838. Boston: William D. Ticknor, 1839. pp. 163-187.

note: Incorporated into Fireside Education.

The First Page of History; 1838 [LOC]

bib info: Philadelphia: Thomas, Cowperthwait, & Co., 1838. 183 pp.

Peter Parley’s Gift, for 1839; 1838 [LOC]

bib info: New York: Colman, Wiley & Putnam, 1838. 168 pp. Perhaps “The Gift,” included by Goodrich on a list of spurious works. Colman published two spurious “Robert Merry” titles in 1839 & 1840.

Peter Parley’s Christmas Tales for 1839; 1838 [copyrighted; LOC; AAS]

bib info: New York: S. Colman, 1838. 296 pp.

note: A rewriting of a spurious British work: “It might be supposed that I had written books enough to satisfy reasonable people, but the book-sellers of London, not content with publishing what I have written, have published several under my name which I never did write. It is not very pleasant to know that there are people in the world who will be guilty of such artifices; and, more than all, it is vexatious to receive either the credit or the censure, which may attach to the deeds of others.

“Among the several books lately published in London and falsely attributed to me, is one giving an account of the manner in which the Christmas holidays are celebrated in England, with sketches of ancient Christmas customs. The work is cleverly done—much better, no doubt, than I could have done it,—but there are many things in it not fit for young readers, and of very little profit to old ones. Thinking it likely that the book would be republished here, I have thought it well to revise it and give it to the public, with the proper story of its origins.” [p. iii]

Fireside Education; 1838 [G, as Sow Well and Reap Well; LOC; MNU; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: New York: S. Colman, 1838. 396 pp.

Peter Parley’s Cyclopedia of Botany; 1838 [AAS; PHL; NYPL; also Peter Parley’s Illustrations of the Vegetable Kingdom; 1840]

bib info: Boston: Otis, Broaders & Co., 1838. 330 pp.
bib info as Illustrations: Boston: B. B. Mussey, 1840. 330 pp. Dictionary with dozens of small illustrations. Copyright 1840 by Goodrich. Volume 4 of Parley’s Family and School Library; the series title is only on the spine.

about the book: “The purpose of this work is, to furnish to young persons, to families, and inquirers generally, a convenient book of reference on Botany,—one which may be practically useful, as well to the student who wishes to pursue the subject systematically, as to the casual reader or observer, who desires occasionally to consult some authority in relation to a particular point. To accomplish these ends, the work is divided into several parts, as follows:

“1. The Introduction, which lays down the general principles of the science, and deserves an attentive perusal, particularly from those who wish to make themselves masters of the subject.

“2. A Genera of Plants, showing their Classification.

“3. A Dictionary of Plants, containing descriptions under an alphabetical arrangement, of several thousands of the most interesting trees, plants, and shrubs, of all countries, with particular notices of the most [p. vi] remarkable vegetable productions of this portion of the American continent.

“Beside these three principal divisions, the reader will notice in the table of contents, directions for the Preserving of Plants, and a Glossary of Botanical Terms. He will also observe, at page 326, an Index of common names, which may be found convenient. If the reader wishes to find the description of any plant of which he only knows the common name, he may find it in this Index, and that will refer him to the place where it is described.

“It may be proper to add, that the Introductory part of the work has been compiled from various sources, and lays no claim to originality. The descriptive portion is the result of considerable research and some observation. From the writer’s experience, in the pursuit of botanical knowledge, he feels justified in the belief that this little volume will prove practically useful, and will serve to extend the knowledge of this delightful branch of natural science. If it shall lure the youth of our country more frequently to the forest and the field, and teach them to look with deeper interest into their vegetable mysteries,—it will answer the chief design of the author.” [Preface]

Five Letters to My Neighbor Smith, by “O. B.”; 1838 [G; LOC; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Weeks, Jordan & Co., 1838. 36 pp.

note: When “Neighbor Smith” answered (The Cracked Jug, by Moses Williams; Boston: Moses Williams, 1838), Goodrich responded with A Letter to Moses Williams, of Roxbury. Boston: Weeks, Jordan & Co., 1838 12 pp. [LOC; AAS; NYPL] Letter was added to the original five in subsequent reprints, beginning in 1838.

On the writing of this work: “During the … session of the legislature, the winter of 1837-8, the famous ‘Fifteen Gallon Law’ was passed—that is, a law prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors in less quantities than fifteen gallons. The county I represented was largely in favor of the measure, and I voted for it, though I was by no means insensible to the agitation it was certain to produce. I had determined not to be a candidate for re-election, and therefore considered myself free to engage in the discussion which preceded the next election, and which, of course, mainly turned upon this law. Among other things, I wrote a little pamphlet, entitled ‘Five Letters to my Neighbor Smith, touching the Fifteen Gallon Jug’—the main design of which was to persuade the people of Massachusetts to make the experiment, and see whether such a restraint upon the sale of intoxicating drinks would not be beneficial. This was published anonymously, and my intention was to have the authorship remain unknown. It, however, had an enormous sale—a hundred thousand copies—in the course of a few months, and curiosity soon guessed me out.” [Recollections vol 2: 346-347]

The Year Book, by B. B. Edwards; 1838 [purchased copyright of; AAS]

bib info: Philadelphia: Herman Hooker, 1838. 498 pp.

note: Adapted from a British work.

Parley’s Rambles in England, Wales, Scotland & Ireland; 1838 [copyrighted 1838; LOC]

bib info: New York: Samuel Colman, 1839. 266 pp.

note: Reworked from a spurious British work: “This work is chiefly copied from the London work, which was got up in imitation of the several books which have appeared in this country, under the authorship of Peter Parley. It has, however, been revised and remodelled, with a view to adapt it to American Readers.” [p. ii]

The First Reader for Schools; 1839 [LOC] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Otis, Broaders & Co., 1839. 96 pp.

note: Advertised on the back cover of Robert Merry’s Museum, Dec 1841.

This reader was revised in 1846, as the second reader: “This volume, formerly published as the “First Reader,” has been revised, enlarged, and improved, and, being now preceded by a new introductory volume, is called the Second Reader.” [The Second School Reader. Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1846.]

The Second Reader for Schools; 1839 [LOC; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1839. 144 pp.

note: Advertised on the back cover of Robert Merry’s Museum, Dec 1841.

Third Reader for the Use of Schools; 1839 [LOC; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Otis, Broaders & Co., 1839. 180 pp.

note: Advertised on the back cover of Robert Merry’s Museum, Dec 1841.

The Fourth Reader for the Use of Schools; 1839 [LOC; AAS] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Otis, Broaders & Co., 1839. 312 pp. Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1839. 324 pp.

note: Otis & Broaders edition advertised on the back cover of Robert Merry’s Museum, Dec 1841.

Robert Merry’s Miscellany; 1839 [M; Smithsonian: National Aeronautics & Space Museum; online]

bib info: New York: Samuel Colman, 1839. 64 pp. Copyright 1839 by Samuel Colman. Paperbound.

note: Most of the contents were reprinted in early issues of Robert Merry’s Museum.

The first issue of a proposed periodical to appear in six issues a year. This is the first appearance of “Robert Merry”; on the engraved title page are two “portraits” of Merry which were reprinted in the magazine. Goodrich’s name appears nowhere in the little paperback. However, the book features several works by him, including the first four chapters of Merry’s “autobiography,” based on Goodrich’s own childhood. Colman also published Robert Merry’s Annual for All Seasons [copyrighted 1839; advertised on back cover of this work. bib info: New York: Samuel Colman, 1840.], which doesn’t mention Goodrich either, but doesn’t include any of his work.

Illustrations: Frontispiece (“The Sociable Weavers”; M: Feb 1841: 2) & 6 plates: “The Sailor’s Family” (M: Feb 1841: 21); “The Groom & the Horse” (M: Feb 1841: 23); “Air-ship & Balloon”; “Bank Swallows” (M: Feb 1841: 16); “The Eagle Owl” (M: Feb 1841: 6); “Spectre of the Brocken” (M: April 1841: 79).


Text: “Introduction” (M: Jan 1841: 9-15); “Origin of Words and Phrases” (M: March 1841: 35; Aug? 1841: 43-44); “The Sailor’s Family” (M: Feb 1841: 21-23); “Anecdote of Franklin” (M: March 1841: 63); “My First Whistle” [poem by Goodrich] (M: Feb 1841: 4); “The Groom and the Horse” (M: Feb 1841: 23); “Conundrum”; “The Human Frame Likened to a House” [poem] (M: Feb 1841: 18); “The Fighting Business” (M: March 1841: 62-63); “The Sociable Weavers” (M: Feb 1841: 2-3); “How to Sleep in Snow” (M: March 1841: 62); “Plan of a Ship for Sailing in the Air”; “Swiftness of Birds” (M: Feb 1841: 31); “A Brave Irishman” (M: Feb 1841: 31); “Searching for Hidden Gold” (M: Feb 1841: 31); “John Steady and Peter Sly” (M: March 1841: 38-40); “Peach Seeds” (M: March 1841: 37); “Swallows” (M: Feb 1841: 15-18); “Origin of the Word Dun”; “About Labor and Property” (M: Feb 1841: 3-4); “Ingenious Excuse of a Schoolboy” (M: March 1841: 63); “Origin of ‘The House that Jack Built’ ” (M: Feb 1841: 7-9); “The Insincerity of Flattery” (M: March 1841: 43); “To the Toads” [poem]; “Owls” (M: Feb 1841: 5-7); “Attachment to Our Country” (M: March 1841: 42); “The Child and the Violets” [poem] (M: April 1841: 62); “Life and Adventures of Robert Merry” (chapters 1-4; unfinished; M: Jan 1841: 9-15); “Plain Dealing” (M: Feb 1841: 26); “The Spectre of the Brocken” (M: April 1841: 79-80); “The Sun”; “Night” (M: April 1841: 101-102); “The Moon” (M: June 1841: 173); “Professions and Trades” (M: March 1841: 94-95); “A Morning Walk to See the Sparrows”; “Who Made It?” [poem reprinted by a work published by Morton & Griswold of Louisville, Kentucky. Morton & Griswold published a number of works by Goodrich.]; “Monument of Affection” (M: Feb 1841: 31); “Ready Wit” (M: Feb 1841: 31); “Keen Satire” (M: March 1841: 63); “Contentment” (M: March 1841: 50); “Talking to One’s Self” (M: March 1841: 63); “Being Behindhand” (M: March 1841: 63); “A Child’s Affection for a Kitten” (M: Feb 1841: 30); “A Musical Mouse” (M: Feb 1841: 30); “Travelling Cats” (M: Feb 1841: 30); “A Musical Pigeon” (M: Feb 1841: 31). Advertisements inside and outside back cover for several Parley books.

Peter Parley’s Wonders of the Earth, Sea, and Sky; 1839 [extract on geology online]

bib info: New York: S. Colman, 1840. 208 pp. Copyright 1839 by S. G. Goodrich

note: “This work is copied from the English edition, with various alterations.” bib info for the British edition: ed. by the Rev. T. Wilson (pseudonym of Samuel Clark). London: Darton & Clark. 336 pp. [descr from British Library online catalog]

Includes the first illustrations (so far!) of dinosaurs to appear in an American children’s book, evidently redrawn from illustrations in the British original.

Peter Parley’s Farewell; 1839 [G, 1836; LOC; AAS; MNU; PHL]

bib info: New York: S. Colman, 1840. 324 pp.

note: Goodrich “killed” his famous character in this work, though “Peter Parley” returned from literary limbo in 1845 to help edit Robert Merry’s Museum.

“Sketches of the Personal and Public Character of Daniel Webster”; 1839

bib info: National Intelligencer [Washington, District of Columbia]: 20 July 1839; p. 2. 24 July 1839; p. 2. 31 July 1839; p. 2. 17 August 1839; p. 3. 24 August 1839; p. 3.

note: Anonymous, though the piece for 20 July is signed “G. S.”; Goodrich mentions writing the pieces in his Recollections. [vol 2: 412] The journey to Baltimore in part 4, 17 August 1839, also appears in Goodrich’s Recollections. [vol 2: 414-415]

Peter Parley’s Illustrations of Astronomy; 1840 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: B. B. Mussey, 1840. 160 pp.

Peter Parley’s Illustrations of History and Geography; 1840 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: B. B. Mussey, 1840. 152 pp.

Biography of Eminent Men, Statesmen, Heroes, Authors, Artists, and Men of Science, of Europe and America; 1840 [purchased copyright of; LOC]

bib info: New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1840.
bib info for part 1: New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1841. St. Louis: Nafis, Cornish & Co., 1841. 194 pp. My copy of part 1 is copyrighted 1841.

In the book: In part 1: Washington Irving; Sir Walter Scott; Lady Harriet Ackland; Joan D’Arc; Napoleon Bonaparte; Marquis of Hastings; Mrs. Carter; Herschell; John Julius Angerstein; Kortzebue; Ferguson; Goldoni; Sir William Jones; George the Third; Christina, Queen of Sweden; Gonsalvo of Cordova; Zerah Colburn; Young Roscius; Catherine I of Russia; Sir Joseph Banks; Madame de Stael Holstein; Lord Nelson; Margaret Lembrun; Joseph Bonaparte; William Wilberforce; Handel; Mozart; Mungo Park; Isaaco Park’s Guide; Captain Cook; Athenais; Earl Fitzwilliam; Tasso; Hogarth; Chatterton; Lopez de Vega; Maria Theresa; Thomas Denman; George Morland; Henry Kirke White; the Baroness de Krudener; Sir Thomas Lawrence; Sir Richard Arkwright; General Putnam; Ledyard; Gustavas Vasa; Sir Francis Drake; James Hogg; Desaix; Junot; Sir Murray Maxwell; Margaret Roper; Socivizca, the Greek Robber; George Washington; Thomas Jefferson; John Adams; Samuel Adams; James Madison; James Monroe; William Penn

In 1855, published by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as one of 12 volumes of “Peter Parley’s Select Library.”

The Floweret; Being a Selection of Interesting Stories; 1840 [purchased copyright of; LOC]

bib info: New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1840. 232 pp.

In the book: “The Young Tyrolese,” by Miss C. Strickland; “Hymn,” by Amelia Opie; “The Young Rebel,” by Mrs. S. C. Hall; “On Two Sisters,” by F. M. Reynolds; “The Old Gentleman”; “The Mountain Daisy,” by Mrs. S. C. Hall; “A Walk in the Temple Gardens in the Summer of 1827,” by Amelia Opie; “Filial Piety,” by Richard Howitt [poem]; “The Soldier’s Wife,” by S. C. Hall; “Innocence,” by Agnes Strickland [poem]; “The Origin of ‘Darby and Joan,’ ” by author of “Dame Rebecca Berry”; “Little Moses,” by Miss Mitford; “Isabel, the Lacemaker,” by W. H. Harrison; “The Deadly Nightshade” [poem]; “The Birds and the Beggar of Bagdat,” by Miss Jewsbury; “To the Harebell” [poem]; “The Restless Boy,” by Amelia Opie; “The School-Boys,” by Barbara Hofland; “Lines Written at Sea,” by Alexander Dyce [poem]; “Stanzas, on The Execution Militaire,” by F. L. Gower; “The Panorama”; “Rosalie,” by Derwent Conway.

note: Selections from The Lily, for 1831 (New York: R. Schoyer, 1830), a gift book with hand-colored plates. Published as a volume in “Parley’s Library.” Nafis & Cornish volumes advertised as part of “The Young People’s Library” and “Parley’s Family and School Library.” In 1855, published by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as one of 12 volumes of “Peter Parley’s Select Library.” This book appears on neither Goodrich’s list of works he created nor on his list of spurious works.

Tales of Terror; 1840 [purchased copyright of] also as Fairy Tales & as Short Stories

bib info: Boston: E. Littlefield, 1840. 2 vol in one.

Vol 1 as Fairy Tales; or, Interesting Tales. New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1840.

Vol 2 as Short Stories; or, A Selection of Interesting Tales

In the book (authors are not listed in the book and are taken from other sources): Vol 1: “The Storm-Lights of Anzaska”; “Monos and Daimonos”; “The Iron Shroud”; “The Rock of the Candle”; “The Sisters”; “Der Freischutz”; “The Comet”; “A Night in a Church”; “The Dummburg”; “The Legend of Bethel Rock” [by Samuel Goodrich]; “The Oratory.”

Vol 2: “The Hermitess” [by Samuel G. Goodrich; from Token for 1828]; “The Spate”; “The Night Alarm”; “The Rattlesnake Hunter”; “The Tapestries Chamber”; “The Land’s-End of Cornwall”; “The Necromancer”; “Bernard, the Decore”; “The Old Hall”; “Marie; or, The Blue Kerchief”; “The Regicide”; “Adele”; “The Piedmontese Courier”; “The French Officer”; “The Last Trial of Fidelity.”

note: Nafis & Cornish volumes advertised as part of “The Young People’s Library” and “Parley’s Family and School Library.” In 1855, published by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as two of 12 volumes of “Peter Parley’s Select Library.”

Tales of Humor; 1840 [purchased copyright of] as Humorist Tales & as Tales for the Times [LOC]

bib info: Boston: E. Littlefield, 1840. 2 vols in one.

Vol 1 as Humorist Tales; Being a Selection of Interesting Stories. New York: Cornish, Lamport, & Co., 1851-1853. St. Louis: McCartney & Lamport, 1851-1852.

Vol 2 as Tales for the Times; Being a Selection of Interesting Stories. New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1841.

In the book (authors are not listed in the book and are taken from other sources): Vol 1, 192 pp.: “The Bashful Man” [by Thomas Gray; from Token for 1832]; “Jim Soolivan”; “Mrs. Bullfrog” [by Nathaniel Hawthorne; from Token for 1837]; “The Bald Eagle”; “The Captain’s Lady” [by James Hall; from Token for 1830]; “The Yellow Domino”; “The Haunted Quack” [by Nathaniel Hawthorne; from Token for 1831]; “A Ghost Story”; “The Height of Impudence” [by Robert C. Sands; from Token for 1830]; “Grasso Legnaiuolo; or, Who Am I?”; “The Magician”; “Hans in Luck”; “Reflections in the Pillory”; “The Village Musician” [by James Hall; from Token for 1831]; “The Lying Servant”; “Measure for Measure”; “The Storm.”

Vol 2, 192 pp.: “The Lame Pig”; “A Night’s Adventure”; “From the Journal of an Odd Fellow”; “Madame Brillante”; “Rumpelstilzchen”; “The Furlough”; “Lord Vaporcourt”; “The Magic Spinning-Wheel” [by J. K. Paulding; from Token for 1836]; “A Rill from the Town Pump” [by Nathaniel Hawthorne]; “London Omnibuses”; “The Coach Wheel”; “The Piper of Niesse”; “Too Handsome for Any Thing”; “The Good-Natured Couple”; “The First Time of Asking”; “A Legend of Tom Thumb”; “A Chapter on Ears”; “Lesson in Biography”; “Horrors of a Head-Dress” [from Token for 1836]; “The Last of the Serpents”; “Mr. Higginbotham’s Catastrophe” [by Nathaniel Hawthorne]; “The Elopement”; “The Dilemma.”

note: Nafis & Cornish volumes advertised as part of “The Young People’s Library” and “Parley’s Family and School Library.” In 1855, published by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as two of 12 volumes of “Peter Parley’s Select Library.”

Moral Tales; 1840 [purchased copyright of; LOC]

bib info: Boston: E. Littlefield, 1840. 2 vol in one.

Vol 1 as Moral Tales; or, A Selection of Interesting Stories. New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1840. St. Louis, Missouri: Nafis, Cornish & Co., 1840. 192 pp. With frontispiece of “Isabel” (Token, 1831)

Vol 2 as The Flower Basket; or, A Selection of Interesting Stories. New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1841. St. Louis, Missouri: Nafis, Cornish & Co., 1841. 192 pp. With frontispiece of lovers (title page, Token, 1835)

In the book (authors are not listed in the book and are taken from other sources): Vol 1: “The Two Coats”; “Passages in the Life of an Old Maid” [from Token for 1828]; “My Friend Plum”; “The Broken Miniature”; “Wealth and Fashion” [from Token for 1836]; “The Mysterious Correspondent”; “Katrina Schuyler” [by Theodore S. Fay; from Token for 1837]; “The Cobbler of Brusa” [from Token for 1835]; “He is So Amiable”; “The Blind Boy” [from Token for 1829]; “The Bank Note”; “Sketch of a Blue Stocking” [by Catherine M. Sedgwick; from Token for 1832]; “The Wedding Knell” [by Nathaniel Hawthorne; from Token for 1836]; “David Swan” [by Nathaniel Hawthorne; from Token for 1837]; “The Indian Fighter” [by Timothy Flint; from Token for 1830]; “Curiosity.”

Vol 2: “The Tiara” [from Token for 1837]; “New Year’s Day” [from Token for 1836]; “Night Sketches Beneath an Umbrella” [by Nathaniel Hawthorne; from Token for 1838]; “The Canterbury Pilgrims” [in contents as “Canterberry Pilgrims”; by Nathaniel Hawthorne; from Token for 1833]; “The Legacy Hunter”; “Parental Hopes”; “The World, as It Is”; “The Haunted Mind” [in contents as “Haunted Maid”; by Nathaniel Hawthorne; from Token for 1835]; “Reconciliation”; “The Dream Fulfilled” [by Samuel G. Goodrich; from Token for 1829]; “Iretta the Fairy” [by Elizabeth Oakes Smith; from Token for 1839]; “The Man with the —”; “Sights from a Steeple” [by Nathaniel Hawthorne; from Token for 1831]; “Something that Actually Happened”; “The Diamond” [by Frances E. I. Calderon de la Barca; from Token for 1834]; “The Tempter”; “The Discharged Workman.”

note: Nafis & Cornish volumes advertised as part of “The Young People’s Library” and “Parley’s Family and School Library.” In 1855, published by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as two of 12 volumes of “Peter Parley’s Select Library.”

Tales of Love, 1841 [purchased copyright of; LOC] also as The Consul’s Daughter & as The Rose Bud

bib info: Boston: E. Littlefield, 1841. 2 vols in one.

Vol 1 as The Consul’s Daughter. New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1841.

Vol 2 as The Rose Bud. New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1840. In 1855, published by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as one of 12 volumes of “Peter Parley’s Select Library.” Perhaps on Goodrich’s list of spurious works in Recollections.

In the book (authors are not listed in the book and are taken from other sources): Vol 1: “The Lily of Liddesdale”; “The Maid of Malines”; “Second Thoughts Best” [by Catherine Sedgwick; from Token for 1840]; “The Lover’s Last Visit”; “Rachel Morisson”; “The Consul’s Daughter”; “Lawrence Bayley’s Temptation”; “The Drowned Fisherman”; “Bianca.” Illustrated with three plates, one of which had appeared already in The Token for 1835.

Vol 2: “The Dead and the Living Husband”; “The Peasant Girl’s Love”; “The Two Kates”; “Count Rodolph’s Heir”; “The Parting Kiss”; “The Lowly Lady”; “Women are Fickle”; “Love in the Olden Time”; “The Muffled Priest”; “Isabelle, Her Sister Kate, and Their Cousin”; “The Spanish Duchess and the Orphan Boy”; “Snow-Storm in Scotland”; “Bertha Clerville”; “Love’s Recompense”; “The Young Minister and the Bride”; “Tradition of Rolandseck.”

note: Nafis & Cornish volumes advertised as part of “The Young People’s Library” and “Parley’s Family and School Library.” In 1855, published by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as two of 12 volumes of “Peter Parley’s Select Library.”

Robert Merry’s Museum; Feb 1841-Nov 1872 [founded, & edited, 1841-1854]

note: All issues but those for 1861-1865 & 1872 are available as part of the American Periodical Series. First issue is February 1841; Oct 1841 issue is a double issue labled “nos. 9 & 10.”

According to Goodrich, “This work was begun and established by me, under the title of Merry’s Museum, but after the discontinuance of Parley’s Magazine, the latter title was added. The work continued under my exclusive editorship until I left for Europe in 1850; from that time, while I had a general charge of the work, Rev. S. T. Allen was the home editor. At the close of the fourteenth year (the twenty-eighth semi-annual volume, 1854), my connection with the work entirely ceased.” [Recollections vol 2: 543] Luckily for those who enjoy a good bibliographic tangle, the publishers hinted in 1842 that they had the original idea for the magazine, and hired Goodrich to edit it: “The choice of an editor was a matter involving much responsibility, and in securing the services of the author of the long to be remembered ‘Peter Parley’s Tales,’ in that department, they felt that his well-established reputation, as a writer for youth, would fully satisfy the most fastidious parent, teacher or guardian.” (Nov 1842, back cover) Both attempts to take credit for the Museum are complicated by the fact that much of the material in the first issue had appeared in 1839 in Robert Merry’s Miscellany—by a completely different publisher. Perhaps Goodrich—approached by Bradbury, Soden & Co. to lend his editorial talents to a new periodical—thriftily decided to recycle the earlier material, the character of Robert Merry, & the plates that had been created to feature the old traveler.

Sketches from a Student’s Window; 1841 [G; LOC; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: William D. Ticknor, 1841. 311 pp.

In the book: “My Friend Plum”; “Birthnight of the Humming Birds”; “The Dream Fulfilled”; “The Cave of Diamonds”; “The King of Terror”; “The School Boy’s Saturday”; “A Horse and a Wife”; “Prejudice”; “The Rainbow Bridge”; “Foot-prints”; “Love of Nature”; “The Legend of Bethel Rock”; “Self-deception”; “The Monkeys in Procession”; “The Greedy Fox”; “The Two Shades”; “The Hunters of the Prairie”; “The Blue-bird”; “The Lamp”; “The Sage and Linnet”; “To a Wild Violet, in March”; “The Wounded Robin”; “The Angel’s Privilege”; “Chatsworth, Ten Years Ago”; “The Turkey and Rattlesnake”; “The Swiss Boy’s Farewell”; “The Oak and Insect”; “The Benefits of Industry”; “Jack Frost”; “The Pedler”; “The River”; “Guess My Name”; “The Twins”; “The Liar”; “The Genius of Plaintive Music”; “The Giant and the Ants”; “The Sustainer of All Things”; “Life”; “The Persecuted Eagle”; “The Monkey’s Petition”; “The Gipsies’ Prayer”; “The Senses”; “Industry and Indolence”; “The Three Classes of Society”; “The Bird’s Adieu”; “Traits of Irish Character”; “Chingford Church”; “The School of Misfortune”; “The Magician”; “The Hermitess” [from Token for 1828]; “Sketches in Paris.”

Three Months at Sea; or, A Voyage to India; 1841 [edited & copyrighted; G, 1832; LOC] Also as Philip Grey; or, Three Months on the Sea [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: James Munroe & Co., 1842. 144 pp.
bib info as Philip Grey: New York: James Miller, c 1863. 144 pp.

note: Copyright 1841 by S. G. Goodrich. Complete title reads Three Months on the Sea; or, A Voyage to India; Showing How Philip Grey Improved and Beguiled His Time While Sailing on the Ocean. A volume in “Grandfather’s Library”: “The subscribers have in progress a series of works for children, to be entitled Grandfather’s Library, of which this volume is a specimen. They will be got up under the editorial charge of the author of Peter Parley’s Tales …. Most of these volumes will be original, and all will be carefully adapted to American readers.” [pp. 34]

Goodrich calls this “an English book, with additions and modifications.” [Recollections vol 2: 543] The introduction to the book reads, “This story of little Philip was written by an English author, who made up a very pretty book, some time since, called ‘Charlie’s Discoveries,’ which, I suppose, you have read; and I now give it to you as he told it, having made a few alterations, so as to render the sense more plain.” [p. 6] When listing this work in Recollections, Goodrich may have had in mind a series of volumes collected as “Peter Parley’s Little Library” in 1841: he had copyrighted several of them in 1832; in 1841 he selected and supervised publication of the collection.

The Garland; 1841 [purchased copyright of; LOC]

bib info: New York: Nafis & Cornish, c1841.

note: Published as a volume in “Parley’s Library.” In 1855, published by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as one of 12 volumes of “Peter Parley’s Select Library.” Text & illustrations from The Token for 1841.

A Key to ‘Universal History Illustrated’; or, The Stream of Time Made Visible; 1841 [LOC]

bib info: New York: D. Appleton, 1841. 235 pp.

A scan of the 1841 edition of the gigantic map is online as part of the Harvard Map Collection digital maps.

The Common-School Primer; 1841 [LOC]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1841. 64 pp. Copyrighted by Morton & Griswold

note: “This Primer, as is expressed on the title page, is introductory to the series of School Readers, of which Mr. S. G. Goodrich is the author, and which are styled the Comprehensive Series.” [notice on copyright page]

This delightful little book moves from pages showing the alphabet to tiny stories in words of mostly one syllable. It is heavily illustrated, with pictures of the “ox,” “fox,” and “box” which are the first words learned, to scenes of everyday life in New England.

A General Atlas of the World; 1841 [edited; LOC] Also A New Atlas of the World, by Thomas Gamaliel Bradford [LOC]

bib info: Boston: Strong, 1841.

note: Goodrich is listed as co-author.

Ireland and the Irish; 1841 [G, 1842; LOC]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury & Soden, 1841. 119 pp.

A Pictorial History of France, for schools; 1842 [G, 1846; LOC; PHL; NYPL; AAS, 1846] [reviewed]

bib info: Philadelphia: Agnew, 1842. Also Philadelphia: Sorin & Ball, 1844. 347 pp.

note: Goodrich notes that, “In the preparation of [this work], I had assistance from Dr. Alcott, Mr. J. Lowell, &c.” [Recollections vol 2: 539]

The Young American; 1842 [G, 1842; LOC; AAS; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: New York: William Robinson, 1842. 282 pp.

A Universal, Illustrated Atlas; 1842 [LOC; MNU]

bib info: Boston: C. D. Strong, 1842.

Supplement to The Pictorial Geography of the World, for 1841 and 1842; 1842 [AAS]

bib info: Boston: C.D. Strong, 1842. 104 pp.

A Pictorial Natural History; 1842 [G; AAS, 1845; MNU] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: J. Munroe & Co., 1842. Providence, RI: H. Fuller, 1842. 415 pp.

Moral Tales; by Robert Merry; 1842 [purchased copyright of]

bib info: New York: John S. Taylor & Co., 1842. 158 pp. Stories revised for Make the Best of It.

In the book: “Robert Merry’s Address to the Reader”; “Terence O’Keefe, or The Unhappy Family”; “The Pleasure Boat”; “Millicent Dale, or The Cottage Girl”; “Cheerful Cherry, or Make the Best of It” (M: Feb 1842: 48-56)

At least two of the plates used to illustrate the book originally appeared in spurious Parley chapbooks published by Carter & Hendee. “Terence O’Keefe” may have been published as a spurious chapbook.

Make the Best of It; or, Cheerful Cherry, and Other Tales; 1843 also as Cheerful Cherry; or, Make the Best of It [M; G; LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: New York: Wiley & Putnam, 1843. 170 pp. Stories revised from Moral Tales; by Robert Merry.

In the book: “Cheerful Cherry” (M: Feb 1842: 48-56); “Patience Prevails”; “Happy and Unhappy”; “The Pleasure Boat”; “Attention”

Reprinted in 1855 by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as a volume in “Parley’s Cottage Library.”

The Gipsies’ Prayer; 1843 [LOC]

bib info: Boston: n. p., 1843? 2 pp.

note: Song “for the Benefit of the Bunker Hill Fair.” Also in Sketches from a Student’s Window, 1841.

Persevere and Prosper; or, The Siberian Sable-Hunter; 1843 [M; G; LOC; AAS; NYPL] Also A Tale of Adventure; or, The Siberian Sable Hunter

bib info: New York: Wiley & Putnam, 1843. 170 pp.

note: Serialized in Robert Merry’s Museum (July 1841: 1-6; Aug 1841: 33-37; Sept 1841: 69-72; Oct 1841: 103-106; Nov 1841: 156-158; Jan 1842: 7-11; March 1842: 65-68; Oct 1842: 122-124; July 1842: 2-7; Aug 1842: 50-54; Sept 1842: 88-91; Oct 1842: 109-125; Nov 1842: 146-151; Dec 1842: 166-169)

Reprinted in 1855 by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as a volume in “Parley’s Cottage Library.”

What to Do and How to Do It; or, Morals and Manners; 1843 [G; AAS; LOC; MNU; NYPL; online]

bib info: New York: Wiley & Putnam, 1843. 172 pp.

note: Parts of several chapters had appeared already in Robert Merry’s Museum.

Reprinted in 1855 by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as a volume in “Parley’s Cottage Library.”

Parley’s Cabinet Library, 1843-1845 [20 volumes] [reviewed]

note: Originally published in 40 fascicles, by John Allen (New York) & by Bradbury, Soden & Co. (Boston; Bradbury, Soden & Co. at this time published Robert Merry’s Museum, edited by Goodrich): “PARLEY’S CABINET LIBRARY, COMPLETE IN TWENTY VOLUMES; TO BE ISSUED IN FORTY NUMBERS, At 25 Cents each. … These volumes will contain about 280 pages, 16mo., each. They will be delivered, as nearly as may be, at the rate of two numbers, or one volume, a month.” (back of Lights and Shadows of Asiatic History, part 2. New York: John Allen, n. d. back of Famous Men of Modern Times, part 2. Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., n. d.) Parts were bound in paper; purchasers would have them bound in hard covers by a local book binder.

Later editions were hard-cover.

Curiosities of Human Nature; copyright 1843 [G, 1844; LOC; MNU; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1844. 320 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Biography.”


Lives of Famous Men of Ancient Times; 1843 [G, 1844; LOC; MNU; PHL; NYPL; also Famous Men of Ancient Times]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1843. 310 pp.

In the book: Mohammed; Belisarius; Attila; Nero; Seneca; Virgil; Cicero; Julius Caesar; Hannibal; Alexander; Artistotle; Demosthenes; Apeiles; Diogenes; Plato; Socrates; Alcibiades; Democritus; Pericles; Aristides; Aesop; Solon; Lycurgus; Homer; Confucius

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Biography.”


Lives of Famous Men of Modern Times; 1843 [G, 1844; LOC; MNU; NYPL; also Famous Men of Modern Times]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1843. 288 pp.

In the book: Sir Walter Scott; Lord Byron; Napoleon Bonaparte; J. W. von Gothe; Robert Burns; Edmund Burke; Samuel Johnson; John Milton; William Shakespeare; Lord Bacon

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Biography.”


Lives of Celebrated American Indians; 1843 [G, 1844; LOC; MNU; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden, 1843.

In the book: Manco Capac; Mayta Capac; Huayna Capac; Atahualpa; Caupolican; Yehoalay; Tupac Amaru; Quetzalcoatl; Xolotl; Acamapitzin; Montezuma I; Donna Marina; Montezuma II; Cofachiqui; Tascaluza; Vitachuco; Pocahontas; Philip; Pontiac; Logan; Brant; Tecumseh; Red Jacket; Shongmunecothe; Black Hawk

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Biography” as Lives of Famous American Indians.


Lives of Benefactors; 1843 [G; LOC; MNU; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Thompson, Bigelow & Brown, 1843. 320 pp. “Parley’s Cabinet Library, no. 4”

In the book: Washington; Jay; Henry; Franklin; La Fayette; Kosciusko; William Tell; Howard; Jenner; Oberlin; Guttenberg; Hargraves; Arkwright; Whitney; Fulton; Copernicus; Galileo; Linnaeus; Bowditch; Huber; Herschel; Davy

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Biography.”


Lives of Celebrated Women; 1844 [G; LOC; MNU; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1844. 352 pp.

In the book: Lucretia and Margaret Davidson; Mrs. Adams; Mrs. Washington; Madame de Stael; Lady Hester Stanhope; Hannah More; Mrs. Barbauld; Madame de Genlis; Josephine; Marie Antoinette; Madame Roland; Madame de Sevigne; Mary, Queen of Scots; Elizabeth; Isabella of Spain; Joan of Arc

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Biography.”


Glance at the Physical Sciences; or, The Wonders of Nature, in Earth, Air, and Sky; 1844 [G; LOC; MNU; NYPL; excerpt on meteors online]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden, & Co., 1844. New York: J. Allen, 1844. 352 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Literature and Science” as A Glance at the Sciences.


Lights and Shadows of African History; 1844 [G; LOC; MNU; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1844. 336 p.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of History.”


Lights and Shadows of American History; 1844 [G; LOC; MNU; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden, 1844. 320 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of History.”


Lights and Shadows of Asiatic History; 1844 [G; LOC; MNU; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden, 1844. 320 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of History.”


Lights and Shadows of European History; 1844 [G; LOC; MNU; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1844. 320 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of History.”


History of the Indians of North and South America; 1844 [G; LOC; MNU; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden, 1844. New York: J. Allen, 1844. 336 pp. “Parley’s Cabinet Library, no. 12.”


Manners and Customs of the Principal Nations of the Globe; copyright 1844 [G; LOC; MNU; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1845. 352 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of History” as Manners and Customs of Nations.


Manners, Customs, and Antiquities of the Indians of North and South America; 1844 [G; LOC; MNU; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden, 1844. 336 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of History” as Manners and Customs of American Indians.


Illustrative Anecdotes of the Animal Kingdom; 1845 [G 1844; LOC; MNU; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1845. New York: J. Allen, 1845. 336 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Literature and Science.”


Book of Literature, Ancient and Modern, with specimens; 1845 [G; LOC; MNU; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1845. 336 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Literature and Science” as Literature—Ancient and Modern.


Glance at Philosophy, Mental, Moral, and Social; 1845 [G; LOC; MNU; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1845. New York: J. Allen, 1845. 320 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Literature and Science.”


The Wonders of Geology; 1845 [G; LOC, 1844; MNU; PHL; NYPL; excerpt on fossils online]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1845. 291 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Literature and Science.”


The World and Its Inhabitants; 1845 [G; LOC; MNU; NYPL; AAS]

bib info: Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1845. 328 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Literature and Science.”


Enterprise, Industry and Art of Man; 1845 [G; LOC; MNU; NYPL; AAS]

bib info: New York: J. Allen, 1845. Boston: Bradbury, Soden & Co., 1845. 335 pp.

note: Published as a volume in “Youth’s Library of Literature and Science.”

Peter Parley’s Illustrations of Commerce; 1844 [G, 1834; LOC]

bib info: New York: W. Robinson, 1844. 152 pp. Copyright 1840 by Goodrich

Fairy Land, and Other Sketches for Youth; 1844 [purchased copyright of & wrote some pieces; LOC]

bib info: Boston: James Munroe & Co., 1844. 167 pp.

In the book: “Fairy Land; or Titania’s Trial”; “The Vain Gift”; “Peter and the Pig”; “Birthnight of the Humming Birds” (poem by Goodrich); “The Fairy Monitor”; “The Zephyr”; “The Old Man’s Story”; “The Three Sisters”; “The Mourner Comforted”; “Wit and Wealth”; “Foot-prints”; “The Rainbow Bridge” (poem by Goodrich); “Ghost Stories”; “Good and Evil”; “Rival Bubbles” (poem by Goodrich); “The Lamp”; “Jack Frost”; “Turky and Rattlesnake”; “Oak and Insect”; “The Rival Messengers”; “Farewell to Fairy Land.”

note: Listed by Goodrich as spurious [Recollections vol 2: 550]; contains several of his poems.

Peter Parley’s Little Leaves for Little Readers; 1844 [M?; LOC]

bib info: Boston: J. Munroe & Co., 1844. 144 pp.

A Pictorial History of America; 1844, rev 1854, 1859 [G; LOC; AAS, rev 1846; MNU; PHL; NYPL; also A Pictorial History of the United States; American Child’s Pictorial History of the United States] [reviewed]

bib info: Hartford: E. Strong, 1844. 813 pp.
bib info as A Pictorial History of the United States: Philadelphia: Sorin & Ball, 1844. 354 pp.
bib info for rev ed.: A Pictorial History of the United States, with Notices of Other Portions of America. Philadelphia: E. H. Butler & Co., 1857. 360 pp. On the spine: Goodrich’s Pictorial History of the United States
bib info as American Child’s Pictorial History of the United States: Philadelphia: E. H. Butler & Co., 1861. 224 pp.
revised in 1865: 516 pp.

note: Another edition published in 1848 is 827 pages, with a 48-page appendix, “The Aborigines of America.” It’s copyrighted by House & Brown. bib info: Hartford, Connecticut: House & Brown, 1848. Engraved title page reads A Pictorial History of the Western World.

Goodrich notes that, “In the preparation of [this work], I had assistance from Dr. Alcott, Mr. J. Lowell, &c.” [Recollections vol 2: 539]

Wit Bought; or, The Adventures of Robert Merry; 1844 [M; G; LOC; AAS; NYPL; magazine version online]

bib info: New York: Wiley & Putnam, 1844. 171 pp.

note: Serialized in Robert Merry’s Museum, 1841-1842 (Feb 1841: 9-15; March 1841: 33-35; April 1841: 65-71; May 1841: 129-133; June 1841: 161-167; July 1841: 17-20; Aug 1841: 39-43; Sept 1841: 65-68; Oct 1841: 97-99; Nov 1841: 149-151; Dec 1841: 178-181; Jan 1842: 12-16; Feb 1842: 36-38; March 1842: 79-83; May 1842: 150-154; June 1842: 177-181; July 1842: 26-29; Aug 1842: 34-37; Sept 1842: 66-72; Oct 1842: 104-107; Nov 1842: 132-134; Dec 1842: 161-165). Chapters 1-4 published in 1839 in Robert Merry’s Miscellany. Many events in this fictionalized version of Goodrich’s own Connecticut childhood are described in his Recollections.

Reprinted in 1855 by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as a volume in “Parley’s Cottage Library.”

A Home in the Sea; or, The Adventures of Philip Brusque; 1845 [M; G; LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL; magazine version online] [reviewed]

bib info: Philadelphia: Sorin & Ball, 1845. 167 pp.

note: Serialized in Robert Merry’s Museum (Jan 1841: 19-21; Feb 1841: 47-50; March 1841: 73-79; April 1841: 97-101; Sept 1841: 85-88; Oct 1841: 100-103; Nov 1841: 129-132; Jan 1842: 21-24; March 1842: 87-89; Sept 1842: 80-84; Nov 1842: 151-154; Dec 1842: 181-182)

Reprinted in 1855 by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as a volume in “Parley’s Cottage Library.”

A Pictorial History of England; 1845 [G, 1846; AAS; LOC; MNU; PHL; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info for 1846 ed: Philadelphia: Sorin & Ball, 1846. 444 pp.

note: Goodrich notes that, “In the preparation of [this work], I had assistance from Dr. Alcott, Mr. J. Lowell, &c.” [Recollections vol 2: 539]

A Tale of the Revolution, and Other Sketches; 1845 [M; G; LOC; AAS]

bib info: Philadelphia: Sorin & Ball, 1845. 160 pp.

In the book: “A Tale of the Revolution”; “The Lottery Ticket” (M: Jan 1844: 13-16; Feb 1844: 69-72; March 1844: 109-111; April 1844: 139-143); “Dirk Heildover” (M, as “Dirk Heldriver”: July 1844: 34-37; Aug 1844: 69-72; Nov 1844: 132-134; “The Old Man’s Story” (M as “The Story of The Cotton-wool” & “The Reminiscences of a Rag”: Feb 1844: 43-45; March 1844: 82-84; April 1844: 116-120.

note: All but one story appeared originally in Robert Merry’s Museum.

Reprinted in 1855 by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as a volume in “Parley’s Cottage Library.”

Right is Might, and Other Sketches; 1845 [G; LOC; AAS; NYPL]

bib info: Philadelphia: Sorin & Ball, 1846. 144 pp.

In the book: “Right is Might; or, The Rival Messengers”; “Wit and Wealth”; “Prejudice”; “Peter and the Pig”; “Ghost Stories”; “The Fairy Monitor”; “Don’t Give Up the Ship”; “The Unfaithful Servant”; “Snow-balling”; “Truth Triumphant”; “Husking the Corn”

Reprinted in 1855 by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as a volume in “Parley’s Cottage Library.”

The Truth-Finder; or, Inquisitive Jack; 1845 [M; G, 1846; LOC; AAS] [reviewed]

bib info: Philadelphia: Sorin & Ball, 1845. Volume in “Parley’s New Juvenile Library.” 162 pp.

note: Several pieces with this title appeared in Robert Merry’s Museum: “Inquisitive Jack and His Aunt Piper” (perhaps reprinted from The Second Reader for Schools), May 1842: 158; “Inquisitive Jack” (March 1843: 92-95; April 1843: 125-127; May 1843: 155-157; June 1843: 185-188; July 1843: 30-31; Aug 1843: 60-62; Sept 1843: 93-96; Oct 1843: 126-128; Nov 1843: 152-154; Dec 1843: 183-187); “Inquisitive Jack” reprinted in 1844 (Feb: 35-38; March: 75-79; April: 106-108; May: 130-132; June: 163-165; Sept: 81-84).

Reprinted in 1855 by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as a volume in “Parley’s Cottage Library.”

A National Geography, for Schools; 1845 [G, 1849; LOC; NYPL]

bib info: New York: Huntington & Savage, 1845. 108 pp.

Dick Boldhero; or, The Wonders of South America; 1845 [M; G; LOC; AAS; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Philadelphia: Sorin & Ball, 1845. 167 pp.

note: Serialized in Robert Merry’s Museum in 1844 (Feb, pp. 38-40; March, pp. 66-69; April, pp. 98-101; May, pp. 135-139; June, pp. 173-176; July, pp. 21-24; Sept, pp. 77-81; Oct, pp. 100-104; Nov, pp. 137-144; Dec, pp. 163-177)

Reprinted in 1855 by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as a volume in “Parley’s Cottage Library.”

Revised Comprehensive Readers; 1846-1847 [5 vol]

The books were revised from readers published in 1839: “The series of Comprehensive Readers has been carefully revised, and is much improved and enlarged, containing numerous new and appropriate engravings.”

In 1857, the series was reworked with a sixth volume by Noble Butler. My copy of the fourth reader is titled Goodrich’s Fourth School Reader on the title page and Goodrich’s New Fourth School Reader on the cover. [Columbus, Ohio: J. H. Riley & T. C. Bowles, 1857.]

The First School Reader; 1846 [G]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1846.

note: Not revised from the original, but an entirely new work.

The Second School Reader; 1846 [G]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1846. 144 pp. On the cover: Goodrich’s Second Reader for Schools.

note: Revised from the original First Reader: “This volume, formerly published as the “First Reader,” has been revised, enlarged, and improved, and, being now preceded by a new introductory volume [ie, The First School Reader], is called the Second Reader.” [“Preface”; p. 5]

The Third School Reader; 1847 [G]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1847.

The Fourth School Reader; 1847 [G]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1847.

The Fifth School Reader; 1846; also, Goodrich’s Fifth School Reader [G; LOC]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1846.

History of North America; or, The United States and the Adjacent Countries; 1846 [LOC]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1846. 216 pp. One of “Parley’s Primary Histories.”

note: First volume of “Parley’s Primary Histories”: “The author of this little book has been requested to prepare a series of Histories, of such simplicity in style and arrangement, as to make them suitable books for beginners. The present volume has been writte in compliance with this request, and with the hope of rendering it proper as an introduction to the study of history, especially in our common schools.” [“Preface”; p. 7]

Tales of Sea and Land; 1846 [G; LOC; AAS]

bib info: Philadelphia: Sorin & Ball, 1846. 180 pp.

In the book: “The Son of the Sea”; “The Sailor’s Family”; “The Snow-drift”; “An Equinoctial Storm; or, Adventures of a Hat”; “The Freshet”; “The Snow-man”; “The Twins”; “The Lost Found”; “A Hunter’s Tales of Siberia”; “A Legend of Kamschatka”; “The Samoide Magician”; “The Japanese Christians”; “The Demon Exorcised, A Tale of China”; “The Hermitess”

note: Reprinted in 1855 by Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman as a volume in “Parley’s Cottage Library.”

Ancient History, from the Creation to the Fall of Rome; 1846 [G; LOC; NYPL]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: J. P. Morton, 1846. 552 pp.

Pictorial History of Greece, ancient and modern; 1846 [LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: Philadelphia: Sorin & Ball and Samuel Agnew., 1846. 371 pp.

note: Goodrich notes that, “In the preparation of [this work], I had assistance from Dr. Alcott, Mr. J. Lowell, &c.” [Recollections vol 2: 539]

The Moss Rose; 1846 [owned copyright of]

bib info: New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1846.

note: Date taken from the spine. This is The Token for 1840, with new plates. The title appears on the list of spurious works Goodrich included in his Recollections.

The Moss Rose, for 1847 [owned copyright of]

bib info: New York: Nafis & Cornish, 1847.

note: This is The Token for 1841, with new plates. This title appears on Goodrich’s list of spurious works in his Recollections.

History of South America and the West Indies; 1847 [LOC; AAS]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1848. 216 pp. One of “Parley’s Primary Histories.”

note: Goodrich notes that for this title, he “had large assistance from Mr. S. Kettell.” [Recollections vol 2: 539] Samuel Kettell worked on several of Goodrich’s books.

Modern History, from the Fall of Rome to the Present Time; 1848 [G; NYPL]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1848. 600 pp.

note: Goodrich notes that for this title, he “had large assistance from Mr. S. Kettell.” [Recollections vol 2: 539] Samuel Kettell worked on several of Goodrich’s books.

History of Europe; 1848 [G; LOC]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1849. 252 pp. One of “Parley’s Primary Histories.”

note: Goodrich notes that for this title, he “had large assistance from Mr. S. Kettell.” [Recollections vol 2: 539] Samuel Kettell worked on several of Goodrich’s books.

History of Asia and Oceanica; 1848 [G; LOC]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1848. One of “Parley’s Primary Histories.”

Life of Louis Philippe, Late King of the French; 1848 [LOC; MNU; NYPL]

bib info: Boston: J. B. Ball, 1848. 50 pp.

A Pictorial History of Ancient Rome; 1849, rev 1855 [G, 1848; LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL]

bib info: New York: Huntington & Savage, 1849. Cincinnati: H. W. Derby & Co., 1849.
bib info for revised ed: Philadelphia: E. H. Butler & Co., 1855. 333 pp.

note: Goodrich notes: “I was largely assisted in the preparation of Rome by Mr. S. Kettell.” [Recollections vol 2: 539]

Parley’s Panorama; 1849 [G; LOC]

bib info: Boston: J. E. Hickman Co., 1850. 599 pp.

A History of All Nations; 1849-51; rev 1857 [G; LOC; MNU; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: Boston: Wilkins, Carter & Co., 1849-51. 2 vol.

note: From Goodrich’s Recollections: “In the compilation of this work I had the assistance of Rev. Royal Robbins, of Berlin, Conn., Rev. W. S. Jenks, and Mr. S. Kettell, of Boston, and F. B. Goodrich, of New York.” [vol 2: 538] F. B. Goodrich was Frank Boott Goodrich, Samuel Goodrich’s son.

Take Care of No. 1; or, The Adventures of Jacob Karl; 1850 [M; G; LOC; NYPL]

bib info: New York: Sheldon, 1850. 192 pp. As vol 1 of “Merry’s Minor Library”: New York: George Savage, 1852. As a volume of “Parley’s Library”: New York: Sheldon & Co., 1865.

note: Serialized in Robert Merry’s Museum (Nov 1845: 328-329; Dec 1845: 372-373; Feb 1846: 35-36; March 1846: 82-84; April 1846: 117-120; May 1846: 148-150; June 1846: 185-188; July 1846: 28-30; Aug 1846: 54-56; Sept 1846: 92-94; Oct 1846: 121-123; Nov 1846: 153-154; Feb 1847: 56-58; March 1847: 67-69; April 1847: 107-109; May 1847: 149-154; July 1847: 4-8; Aug 1847: 33-35; Sept 1847: 83-84; Oct 1847: 104-107; Nov 1847: 131-133). A subsequent attempt to reprint this popular story in the Museum (March, April, June, Aug, Oct, Nov 1854) was halted when readers protested.

A History of Africa; 1850 [G; LOC]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: Morton & Griswold, 1850. 216 pp. One of “Parley’s Primary Histories.”

note: Goodrich notes that for this title, he “had large assistance from Mr. S. Kettell.” [Recollections vol 2: 539]

A Primer of Geography; 1850 [LOC; NYPL]

bib info: New York: George Savage, 1850. 62 pp.

Poems; 1850 [G; LOC; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: New York: G. P. Putnam, 1850. 144 pp.

A Primer of History; 1851 [G, 1850; LOC; also The First History]

bib info: New York: Huntington & Savage, 1851. Cincinnati: H. W. Derby & Co., 1851. 192 pp. bib info as The First History: Philadelphia: E. H. Butler & Co., 1854. 192 pp.

Peter Parley’s First Book of Spelling and Reading; 1852 [LOC]

bib info: Philadelphia: H. F. Anners, 1852. Boston: F. B. Mussey & Co., 1852. 96 pp.

Les Etats Unis d’Amerique: aperc̦u statistique, historique, géographique, industriel et social; 1852 [G; LOC; NYPL]

bib info: Paris: Guillaumin, 1852. 376 pp.

note: Goodrich gathered material for this book while in Washington, DC, awaiting the confirmation of his nomination as American consul in Paris.

A Comprehensive Geography and History; rev. ed. 1853 [G, 1849; LOC; also The World as It Is, and as It has Been; 1855] [reviewed]

bib info: New York: George Savage, 1853.

The Boy’s and Girl’s Picture Play-Book; 1853 [G, 1855]

bib info: New York: Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman, 1856. 104 pp. Copyrighted by Goodrich, 1853.

note: Description from an online auction. The Play-Book is described in a St. Louis newspaper: “ … the ‘Boys’ and Girls’ Picture Play-Book,’ for every day in the year, illustrated by three hundred and sixty-five engravings—a perfect gallery of art—which a little boy or girl could scarcely look through in a week—pictures awful, funny, instructive and sometimes very wonderful.” [“New Books for Children.” Daily Missouri Republican [St. Louis, Missouri] 10 Dec 1855; p. 1.]

Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman listed this book in the back pages of Aspiration, a novel by “Mrs. Manners”: “Picture Play-Book. By Peter Parley. Large 4to. 356 cuts. Illuminated covers. Price $1.”; in 1855, the firm also reprinted several of Goodrich’s works as “Parley’s Cottage Library.”

Parley’s Present for All Seasons; 1853 [M; G, 1853; LOC; AAS; PHL; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1854. 317 pp.

note: Several pieces appeared first in Robert Merry’s Museum.

In the book: “Edward Maleen” (M, as “The Galley Slave”: March 1852: 65-70; May 1852: 130-138); “Good Night, Mother” (M: Dec 1851: 161-164; illustrated in the book by the same illustration appearing in the Museum, p. 161); “The Snow Storm” (M: Feb 1850: 33-38); “Obedience” (M: “Dialogue”: Sept 1851: 97-98; illustrated in the book with the same illustration appearing in the Museum, p. 97); “The Exiled Fairy” (M: Aug 1847: 20-21); “The Twins”; “Lucky and Unlucky” (M: Jan 1852: 1-3); “Whippoorwill” (M: July 1852: 11-14); “The Boy that Would Have His Own Way” (M: Oct 1852: 129-132); “The Way to Conquer” (M: Oct 1849: 161-163); “Tom Dipfinger” (M, as “The Honey Thief”: Nov 1851: 137-138); “Limping Dick” (M, as “The Story of Limping Tom”: March 1843: 90-91); “Dan and Daniel” (M, as “The Twins”: May 1846: 130-132); “Three Worlds” (M, as “A Dialogue”: Jan 1851: 3-4); “Silly Simon” (M, as “Poor Old Simon”: Nov 1851: 129-133); “The Pearl of the Palace” (M, as “The Caravan”: July 1849: 4-14); “The Flying Horse” (M: July 1849: 15-18); “A Return from a Wrong Road”; “The Black Beast” (M: Aug 1849: 65-67; “The Black Beast, Again,” Sept 1849: 129-131); “Tottering Tim” (M as “Tottering Tim and the Ghost”: April 1851: 118-119); “That Thing I Cannot Do” (M: Aug 1842: 45-47); “The Fire-flies” (M: Oct 1849: 97-99); “Travels of Prince Popinjay” (M: Jan 1848: 2-7); “Thomas Tumbledown” (M: Dec 1851: 180-182); “The Prince in Disguise”; “The Two Dogs” (M: Jan 1848: 62-63); “Heidelberg” (M: June 1852: 178-180); “The Artist Lebrun”; “Flowers” (M: April 1850: 97-99); “The Ambitious Moth” (M: Dec 1851: 176-177); “The Three Champions”; “The Discovery”; “Tale of a Tulip” (M: Feb 1851: 76-79; March 1851: 113-116; May 1851: 144-147; June 1851: 185-187; July 1851: 11-15). “The Runaway”—a plate illustrating “A Return from a Wrong Road”—also appears in Robert Merry’s Museum, Sept 1853, p. 65).

Histoire des Etats Unis d’Amerique; 1854 [G; LOC]

bib info: Philadelphia: E. H. Butler & Co., 1855. Translated by L. E. Du Buisson. 352 pp.

Petite Histoire Universelle; 1854 [G; LOC; NYPL]

bib info: Philadelphia: E. H. Butler & Co., 1855. Translated by L. E. Du Buisson.

A Winter Wreath of Summer Flowers; 1854 [G, 1853; LOC; AAS; MNU; NYPL]

bib info: New York: Appleton, 1855. 320 pp.

Geographie Elementaire; 1854 [G; AAS] [reviewed]

bib info: Philadelphia: E. H. Butler, 1854. 80 pp.

Wanderers by Sea and Land; copyright 1854 [M; G; LOC; AAS; NYPL]

bib info: New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1855. 541 pp.

note: Several pieces appeared first in Robert Merry’s Museum.

In the book: “The Wanderers by Sea and Land” (M: “Talks and Walks; or, Ike, Izzy, and I”, March 1847: 94-96; April 1847: 122-124; May 1847: 154-157; July 1847: 13-19; Aug 1847: 50-54; Sept 1847: 85-88; Oct 1847: 97-102; Nov 1847: 144-146; Dec 1847: 161-187); “A Dialogue Upon Parrots”; “Lucy and Her Lamb”; “Filial Piety”; “Fable of a Bat”; “The Wood Wanderers”; “Charles and His Mother.—A Dialogue” (M: Oct 1841: 124-126); “A Warning”; “The Philosophical Tea-pot.—A Dialogue” (M: Dec 1841: 171-172); “Good Bye to the Old Year”

Faggots for the Fireside; 1854 [M; G; LOC; AAS; NYPL] [reviewed]

bib info: New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1854. 320 pp.

note: Stories originally appeared in Robert Merry’s Museum.

In the book: “The Boy Captive” (“Jumping Rabbit’s Story”: July 1843: 20-22; Aug 1843: 54-56; Sept 1843: 65-68; Oct 1843: 118-120; Nov 1843: 140-143; Dec 1843: 179-182); “The White Owl”; “The Life and Adventures of Thomas Titmouse” (“Thomas Titmouse: Sept 1849: 82-83); “The Wolf and the Fox” (“The Wolf That Pretended to Be Robbed”: July 1841: 7); “The Bob Link”; “Autobiography of a Sparrow”; “The Children of the Sun” (“The Story of Chicama”: Mar 1845: 90-93; April 1846: 123-125; June 1846: 178-182; Aug 1846: 62-63; Sept 1846: 90-92; Oct 1846: 119-120; Nov 1846: 155-158; Feb 1847: 49-51; Mar 1847: 88-91; April 1847: 118-121; May 1847: 142-148; June 1847: 181-185; July 1847: 23-28; Aug 1847: 58-59; Sept 1847: 88-92); “The Soldier and the Blind Fiddler”; “The Rich Man and His Son”; “Flint and Steel”; “The Avalanche”; “Songs of the Season.”

The Gem Book of British Poetry; 1855 [edited; G, 1854; LOC]

bib info: Philadelphia: E. H. Butler & Co., 1855. 362 pp.

Balloon Travels of Robert Merry and His Young Friends in Various Parts of Europe; 1855 [M; G, 1856; LOC; AAS; NYPL]

bib info: New York: J. C. Derby, 1855. Boston: Philips, Sampson & Co., 1855. 312 pp.

note: Originally serialized in Robert Merry’s Museum (Sept 1851: 89-91; Oct 1851: 107-111; Nov 1851: 143-147; Dec 1851: 184-186; Jan 1852: 9-13; Feb 1852: 34-44; April 1852: 98-99; Aug 1852: 34-38; Sept 1852: 73-77; Nov 1852: 137-141; Jan 1853: 8-10; Feb 1853: 42-44; Mar 1853: 74-77; April 1853: 108-111; May 1853: 141-143; June 1853: 169-175; July 1853: 1-8; Oct 1853: 102-108; Nov 1853: 138-144; Dec 1853: 164-167; Jan 1854: 17-19; Feb 1854: 46-49; Mar 1854: 83-86; April 1854: 103-109; May 1854: 137-140; July 1854: 199-205; Sept 1854: 261-264; Nov 1854: 327-333; Dec 1854: 361-367; Mar 1855: 82-86; Mar 1856: 67-72) Printed with The Travels, Voyages, and Adventures of Gilbert Go-Ahead as Peter Parley’s Book of Travels and Adventures. New York: Derby & Jackson, 1857.

The Travels, Voyages, and Adventures of Gilbert Go-Ahead; 1855 [M; G; LOC; AAS; MNU; NYPL; magazine version online]

bib info: New York: J. C. Derby, 1856. 295 pp.

note: Serialized in Robert Merry’s Museum, 1851-1855 (Jan 1851: 26-28; Feb 1851: 60-63; March 1851: 65-71; April 1851: 97-101; May 1851: 138-44; June 1851: 178-182; July 1851: 5-10; Aug 1851: 53-56; Sept 1851: 65-71; Oct 1851: 125-127; Nov 1851: 158-160; Dec 1851: 176-178; Jul 1852: 17-21; Aug 1852: 58-62; Sept 1852: 83-87; Oct 1852: 122-125; Nov 1852: 153-158; Jan 1853: 29-33; Feb 1853: 53-60; March 1853: 90-94; April 1853: 124-130; May 1853: 157-161; June 1853: 185-190; July 1853: 22-28; Aug 1853: 53-59; Sept 1853: 86-92; Oct 1853: 117-120; Nov 1853: 149-150; Dec 1853: 179-183; Jan 1854: 25-28; Feb 1854: 56-60; March 1854: 88-92; April 1854: 116-119; May 1854: 153-157; July 1854: 206-213; Sept 1854: 271-276; Oct 1854: 298-300; Nov 1854: 339-342; Jan 1855: 18-21; April 1855: 108-113; June 1855: 169-173; Feb 1856: 35-38). The book was advertised in the February 1856 issue of the Museum. Published with Balloon Travels of Robert Merry and His Young Friends in Various Parts of Europe as Peter Parley’s Book of Travels and Adventures. New York: Derby & Jackson, 1857.

“Who are the Aggressors?”; 1856 [LOC; MNU; online]

bib info: New York Evening Post, 15 Oct 1856: 1.

Recollections of a Lifetime; 1856 [G, 1857; LOC; AAS; MNU; PHL; NYPL; online] [reviewed]

bib info: NY & Auburn: Miller, Orton & Mulligan, 1856. 2 vol. Published 25 November 1856.

Parley’s Adventures of Billy Bump; 1857; 1862, by SGG’s heirs [M; G; LOC; AAS; magazine version online]

bib info: New York: Sheldon & Co., 1864. 192 pp.

Peter Parley’s Kaleidoscope; 1857 [LOC]

bib info: Cincinnati, Ohio: M. R. Barnitz, 1857. Social Circle, Georgia: E. Nebhet, 1857. 512 pp.

Peter Parley’s Thousand and One Stories of Fact and Fancy, Wit and Humor, Rhyme, Reason, and Romance; 1857 [M; LOC]

bib info: New York: Derby, 1857. 380 pp.

Goodrich’s Sixth School Reader; 1857 [LOC]

bib info: Louisville, Kentucky: John P. Morton, c1857. 551 pp. Electrotype ed. Ed. by Noble Butler. The LOC also lists a copy published around 1858 by W. Flemming.

Illustrated Natural History of the Animal Kingdom; 1859 [LOC; MNU; NYPL] Also as Johnson’s Natural History

bib info: New York: Derby & Jackson, 1859. 2 vol. As Johnson’s Natural History, 1867.

Peter Parley’s First School Reader; 1860

bib info: Halifax: Milner and Sowerby, 1860. 72 pp.? [My copy may be missing pages at end.]

note: Goodrich appears to have created a series for British publishers: “As the Juvenile Works which have appeared under the name of Peter Parley have obtained great celebrity in this country, the Publishers have accepted a proposal from Mr. Goodrich, of Boston (America), the author of the books originally published under that name, to bring out a series of new works, expressly adapted for English readers. The following letter from Mr. Goodrich expresses his views and intentions in regard to this undertaking. ‘Gentlemen,—I think it is now understood between us that I am to prepare a series of books, of which you are to be the Publishers. … I have been much vexed, since my arrival in this country, to see the name of Peter Parley attached to a number of books published in London, which I never saw or heard of, and which contain much of which I wholly disapprove, and consider to be contrary to good morals. I have also seen my books multilated and altered so that I could scarcely recognize anything in them as my own, except the title and some disfigured fragments. It is, therefore, a real satisfaction to me, that my future works are to make their appearance in England in a genuine form …. I shall not fail to keep in view that I am now writing for English readers, and I trust I may thereby render what I write more worthy of the kind reception which, with all their disadvantages, my previous works have met with.’ ” [p. 4]

Peter Parley’s Own Story; 1863 [LOC; AAS; NYPL]

bib info: New York: Sheldon & Co., 1864. 320 pp.

note: An abridgement for children of Recollections of a Lifetime